Cloths of Heaven
by gwmclintock9
Summary: Dr. Temperance Brennan never wanted to be in a position to be hurt in a relationship and now she finds herself hurt because she wasn't there when Booth was injured. She went off with Sully, and now finds herself reeling from the consequences.
1. Pursuit of Happiness

Cloths of Heaven

Written by gwmclintock9

A/N: I do not own Bones. This story is a continuation of the one shot Regrets. It is not suggested reading, however, it will help you understand where I started here. I summarize a bit here, but not a lot actually.

This story takes place around the time after "Killer in the Concrete." However, the divergence in the canon arc lies in "Boneless Bride in the River." Again, to understand the divergence, reading Regrets will help, but not necessary.

Please let me know what you think, this will be chaptered, but I've yet to completely map out the length. I have the ending planned, and the beginning is done as you can see. The journey between the two, however shall be fun.

Enjoy.

**I0I**

"The pursuit of happiness is a most ridiculous phrase; if you pursue happiness you'll never find it."

C.P. Snow (1905-1980)

**I0I**

"Oh, sweetie," Angie said as she hurtled herself toward Brennan. She wrapped her arms around Angela, holding tightly to her best friend. She was glad to take some comfort in her friendship. She needed something good to replace the despair she had been feeling.

Brennan had just gotten into the hospital, arriving directly from the air port. Her clothes stuck to her, but were finally drying. The blanket remained wrapped around her and Jasper was still in her left hand. There weren't too many questions at customs, but she still spent an hour there after the almost six and half hour flight.

She didn't remember any of that.

She didn't even remember walking into the hospital after climbing into the car that Hodgins had sent for her.

All she could remember was that Angela had called her and told her that something had happened to Booth. Pulling back from the hug, she felt Angela's eyes looking over her.

"Did you stop for a swim, Bren?" Brennan gave her a look before following Angela's gaze to the damp clothes she wore.

"Sully wouldn't let me take the boat, so I swam to shore," Brennan said. "Where's Booth?" All other facts didn't matter. What matter to her was that she got to see Booth, that she got to see that he was still alive, still breathing, and still a part of her life.

He promised not to leave her, and looking at Jasper in her hands again, Brennan knew that he wouldn't break a promise like that.

"Sully wouldn't let you? What?" Brennan could not help the sigh of frustration that left her.

"He told me that I couldn't leave until I told him what was going on. I told him it was about Booth. He didn't get it, and wouldn't let me leave, so I swam." She spoke quickly, looking at the nurse manning the reception area. The woman would definitely know where Booth was.

"Sweetie, most people don't just jump over the side of a boat," Angela said. "You could have called back or let him take you in." Brennan nearly glared at Angela because the thought had crossed her mind, but that would mean time she wasn't here. Time she already was wasting.

"Then I wouldn't have been here," Brennan said. She brought Jasper closer, trying to draw more strength out of it. It was illogical and futile, but she still tried. She still wanted to believe that it would give her strength. "Where's Booth?"

Angela's face fell at this, but Brennan kept up her walls. She'd let those fall as soon as she saw him. As soon as she saw that he was alright, or at the very least, alive right now, she would let the next moment hit her. But right now, time could have stopped for all she cared.

"I'll take you to see him, but honey," her voice trailed off, but she just nodded.

"I take it he's sleeping now?" She knew it was a subtle way to ask Angela if Booth was alive, and Angela probably knew that too.

"Yeah." There was a sadness to the voice, but Angela didn't lack hope. something else was wrong.

Brennan didn't like to speculate, and in this case, she didn't have to. She knew it had to do with her leaving and coming back.

"Good, then I can just check up on him and you can tell me what happened," Brennan said. They got into the elevator and Angela pressed a button. Fourth floor. She needed to get the name of the hospital at one point so she knew how to get back here when she left. If she left.

"It's a long story, and you might not like some of it," Angela said.

"I've got all the time in the world, still four more weeks of vacation - at the minimum - to use, Ange, I'm not going anywhere," Brennan kept her gaze on the reflective door in front of them. She watched the cloudy image of Angela stare at her for a few moments before shaking her head. She caught a ghost of a smile grow on Angela's face as the doors opened.

"Good to hear, we missed you around here." Angela stepped off the elevator first, walking down the sterile halls. The light and white were meant to be comforting, the pastels to be as well, but they were doing nothing to calm her down.

"I missed all of you." she whispered as she followed her down the hall. They walked in silence, but Brennan couldn't stop thinking. She felt like the hall kept getting longer and longer, the end further away from her.

Her breath caught in her chest and she felt a tightness beginning to form as the world spun. She dropped to her knees, trying to draw to draw in a breath. She felt the wall starting to crack, to break underneath the pressure of where she was.

She couldn't do this. She needed him, and the very thought that he wouldn't be able to be there for her, stopped her cold. The world was spreading out on her, yet closing in. Her chest was getting heavy and she -

"Marco."

Her heart stopped altogether. She looked up through her cloudy eyes to see her brother, crouching in front of her. She felt his hands on her shoulders, their warm seeping through the cold cloth.

"Polo." She manage to choke out the words as her brother's arms wrapped around her.

She didn't know why he was here, how he go there, or what he knew. All she cared about, all she knew, was that one more piece of her family was still here, still coming back to her. She need to grasp upon that, and her arms were ahead of her brain as they were already wrapped around Russ.

"Let's get you up off the floor Temperance," Russ said, lifting her up. She let him guide her to a chair as she tried to concentrate on her breathing... and Jasper.

"How...Why...?" She couldn't draw a question, her breathing still breaking with sobs as she tried to control herself.

She took several deep breaths, looking at the floor rather than what was in front of her. She knew that Russ had lead her to across from Booth's room. She couldn't look in there, she didn't want to look in there until she was ready to face him. To face her mistakes. Her regrets.

"It's a long story," Russ said. She sat ramrod straight on the chair, closing her eyes as she tried to calm herself. Her grip did not loosen any on Jasper, but she felt the rest of her body relaxing.

Her walls were being built again. She needed them up right now. She needed to hold this away, until she could deal with it all.

Finally, when she thought she could handle everything, she opened her eyes, looking at where Russ was. She was shocked as the cuts and bruises on his face, the broken nose set. He looked tired and more worn than she remembered the last time she saw him. She was beginning to think that it was a pattern for everyone in her life.

"Are you okay?" She reached out and touch the bruises upon his face. Russ just gave her a sad smile.

"Better now, I think we all are," he said. "Do you want to see Booth before we tell you?" He looked over at Angela. She was hugging herself was stealing glances between the door and Brennan, who felt uncomfortable under her best friend's gaze. "Or you want to wait?"

"She's going in there, whether we tell her or not, Russ," Angela said. She knelt in front of Brennan, forcing the woman to look her in the eyes. "Bren, you've got to understand something."

"He's alive, that's all I need to understand right now." She had locked up her heart for the moment. She didn't need to deal with the foolish, irrational thoughts that nearly crippled her moments before. Angela's hands wrapped around her grip on Jasper, which drew her gaze to her talisman.

"If he doesn't call you Bones, don't get mad at him," Angela said. She was pleading with Brennan not to question it, but she just raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"Okay." The statement from Angela sounded odd. Booth always called her Bones, she always complained about it. That was their thing.

She had grown to like the name. She looked over at Russ, but her brother just looked away, finding the armrest very interesting as he picked at it. She wasn't going to fight it though. She'd see that Booth was fine, and then she'd get her answers. From Booth or from someone else.

Angela moved out of the way as Brennan stood. The door to Booth's room had been closed, but she could see through the glass the white sheet that covered his body. She pushed the door open, no resistance from the door, but her feet weighed her down.

The door opened slowly, her pressure neither great or weak. On hand stayed upon the door as her left drew Jasper closer to her chest. She should be relying so much upon the token, the little pig. But she did.

Booth gave it to her when she need something pure to hold onto, something stronger. She needed that strength right now.

The beeping of the machines were the only thing to break the silence of the room. She started at Booth's face, willing her feet to take a few steps forward.

He looked so peaceful, despite the cuts along his face. She had seen him once before in teh hospital, when her refrigerator exploded... She still had nightmares about when he didn't reach for a glass. Now it seemed her nightmares were true.

His body looked more battered, broken then from that incident. His right forearm was being held in a cast. She made a note to check the severity of the break and if it was his ulna or radius. His head was wrapped, with red poking through above his left temple. She caught the sight of wrappings around his ribs as well.

She took a step closer, wishing he was awake so she could speak to him, and hoping that she wasn't so she could avoid her awkward apology for leaving, for putting him in here.

The latter won.

She walked to his left side, where his hand was still free. She placed Jasper in it, watching his fist form around her talisman. Jasper had given her strength to get her, and she hoped that it would give him some to heal for her. To let her know she cared.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for you." She headed out of the room, knowing that she'd have to tell him again, but once the words were out, they became solid, certain.

She held back the urge to check his charts, to see that he was getting enough medication. She didn't know a lot about medicine but she knew enough to make sure the ones she cared for where being taken care of.

She stepped out the door and felt all strength leave her. She collapsed to the floor or at least she knew she would have if her brother hadn't caught her.

"He's fine, he's alive Tempe," Russ whispered to her. He helped her off the ground, trying to offer her comfort.

She heard the words, but she couldn't stop the images. Her nightmares had crossed into the waking world, She wasn't supposed to have those thoughts here, see those images of the lowering casket, the gravestone with name on it. They weren't supposed to be here!

"I should have been here," she looked at Russ and Angela. Even if they spoke to her, to tell her that she was wrong, their faces would be lying. She was wrong to leave.

They sat there in silence, or in Angela's case stood, and Brennan felt herself regaining what little control over her body she had back. She sat up, letting Russ hold her hand; she still wanted to know why he was here, what he had done to look so bad.

"You didn't stay in there very long," Angela commented. Brennan shook her head, drawing her mind away from those images that were haunting her.

"I gave him Jasper to hold on to," she said.

"The little pig he gave you?" Angela looked between her and the room. "That was what you were holding?"

"I needed something to draw strength from," she said. "It is not uncommon in times of grief that people use tokens or talismans that symbolize their faith to help them."

"But its a pig," Russ said. Angela began to smile for the first time since she saw her. Her best friend seemed to understand that she set her faith in Booth. Brennan was thankful that she didn't say anything else about it. She didn't know if she was ready to hear anything beyond that at this point.

"Oh sweetie," Angela said. She took the seat next to Brennan, holding her other hand.

"I need to know what happened," Brenna said. She could not sit there in the dark about the events that had transpired. Not if she wanted to change how she saw herself: as a failure.

"He was working on a case, they found this guy in concrete, and he and his partner-"

"Partner?" Brennan cut Angela off. Logically, she knew that Booth would get another partner, he had to have one if he wanted to work in the field. But the idea didn't set right with her. She was Booth's partner.

"Yes, partner, we'll get to that subject later, but we're giving you the short version right now," Angela said. Brennan nodded, but her grip on Russ' hand got tighter at the thought of Booth working with someone else.

This must have been how he felt after she had to work with Sully.

She pushed all thoughts of Sully out of her mind. She didn't want to be angry with Sully, this really wasn't his fault, but it was in a way, because he was the one that asked her to leave in the first place. He made her question her happiness here. Thoughts of Sully also reminded her of the guilt she felt for leaving the family she had made behind.

She didn't want to feel selfish or so hurt by her own actions. It was illogical and irrational to think that Booth would not have been hurt had she been with him, but she couldn't help it. She knew she could protect Booth better than anyone else.

She didn't know why, but she knew it. Booth would tell her she was thinking with her gut.

"They got the case, and were off to find a guy with one leg," Angela said. Brennan couldn't help but raise her eyebrow in question, trying to figure out what a guy with one leg had to do with Booth in there. Certainly he could do that to Booth. It was Booth...

"Everything just went wrong right from the start," Angela said. She shook her head. Brennan didn't like the sound of that. Angela rarely was negative, she always was happy or had a reason to act like she was. She had never seen her this depressed.

"Ange, just tell me this, will Booth be alright?" Brennan looked back to the closed door, where he lay.

She took a deep breath and Brennan caught the look between Russ and Angela. "Physical, he will heal. The doctors told us he'll be able to be released in a few days. But..." Russ let go of her hand and let Angela take it. "Sweetie, emotional he may not be."

"What do you mean?" Booth was strong, a warrior. He was a soldier and he had survived torture. She had seen his x-rays. He told her a bit of his job as a sniper, what he had to do, the repercussions of the kills. He beat his gambling problem. He still stood after all that, and still found time to help her with her problems, give her someone to lean on when she needed him.

"His partner, the one he has been working with since you left..." Brennan nodded, and ignored the stab of guilt that ran through her. Booth needed a partner if he wanted to be in the field. Someone who could defend themselves. "He didn't make it..." Angela's voice hitched, and Brennan didn't know if it was because she had bonded with the guy or because of what Booth would be going through. Brennan knew the tears on her cheeks were for what Booth would be going through.

"Who found him?" Brennan managed to get out. Angela looked at her for a moment, a small smile in her eyes but none of her face.

"We did." Brennan's neck nearly snapped with how fast it turned to look at her brother.

"'We'?" She stared him down, trying to get an answer of him, something that work as he gave her a small grin.

"Dad and I, we found him." Russ said it like it was the most natural thing in the world, for her father to help out Booth. The same father who ran out on her when she was fifteen, Russ nineteen. The same father that came back in her life when she was investigating a case where he killed two men, one a deputy director of the FBI. Her father.

"How...when...why?" Brennan looked between the two of them. She was shocked that Angela didn't seem phased by Russ' statements, but more than that, Russ was here, he hadn't been arrested, he was here.

He didn't say anything, didn't answer her questions. Angela spoke first, preventing Brennan from glaring her brother into submission.

"You've got to share first, sweetie," Angela said. Brennan didn't want to talk about what happened with Sully. She wanted to concentrate on Booth at the moment. Booth was more important then Sully.

"I told you, Sully wouldn't let me leave, so I had swam to shore," Brennan repeated.

"But why did you leave in the first place?" Angela pressed. Brennan let out a sigh, and stared at the door.

"I wanted to find out for myself," Brennan said. She felt the wall crumble slowly as she stared at what she could of Booth's still form. It wasn't like before when the walls fell and everything closed around her.

"What did you want to find out?" Angela was pressing her to see something, to feel something. For a long time, Brennan stood behind the walls letting the waves of relationships break upon it. The walls had served her well for so long, protecting her from hurt. It didn't stop her from feeling the hurt now, or the guilt.

"If I could find happiness in a relationship," Brennan said. When the walls fell, she felt bare, exposed. But she felt free, freer then she had ever felt before. Free to make a decision, one she thought was right.

"Were you? Happy?" Angela sounded anything but. Brennan closed her eyes, trying to calm her pounding heart. Now that the walls were gone, the freedom that she found scared her.

Brennan stared at the door. She had left Jasper with Booth, and she felt like she needed the protection. She could not have Jasper, a talisman of strength, and she could not have Booth to give her some relief.

"I was." She drew her knees up to her chest, falling back on a biological imperative. "Happy."


	2. What We Can Become

Cloths of Heaven

Written by gwmclintock9

A/N: Thank you for your reviews and I hope that I do not disappoint you with this chapter. Again, I do not own Bones. This story is a continuation of the one shot Regrets. It is not suggested reading, however, it will help you understand where I started here. I summarize a bit here, but not a lot actually.

I'm going to do my best with the actual science when it comes to it, however, I am a layman, so bear with me.

On with the show.

**I0I**

"The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become. "

Charles Dubois (1804-1867)

**I0I**

Angela let go of her hand, sitting there shocked as Brennan willed the tears not to fall. The words she had spoken where ones that she never wanted to utter aloud, otherwise they would be true and she couldn't deny them.

"You were happy?" Angela repeated. "With Sully?"

"As happy as I could have been," Brennan said. She wiped the tears on the back of her hand before looking at Angela. "Given the circumstances." She went back into her self-hug, trying to maintain a level comfort that could sustain her.

"You mean because of what happened to Booth?" Brennan shook her head, burying it deeper in her arms. She felt a chill run across her back as she drew her knees closer.

"Angela, give it a rest," Russ said. "Tempe, you need to change." She looked out of her hug, not surprised to see the care on his face.

"I know," she said before burying back into her hug. She had to change, if only a little bit. She had to let people in. They would help break the waves better than the wall could. At least they, the people, were still standing. Her walls were gone.

People congregate together as a measure of security. Both physical and emotional security that they would not have otherwise. It was the norm for a society to band together in the face of a tragedy, no matter how large or small. Like after 9/11, the entire country united, if but for a little while, and now Brennan was feeling her family and friends drawing together to get them through all of this.

Angela and Russ where here right now for her, and she should have been there for them when all of this happened. Looking back, Russ was there for her when her parents first left, but she didn't want anything to do with him. She should have held tighter to Russ, maybe he would have stayed.

But she wouldn't have become the woman she was today. Strong, stubborn, independent, smart, and to some men, beautiful. Well known forensic anthropologist and author. She wouldn't be that woman if Russ hadn't left, if her parents hadn't left.

Going with Sully, she found that she could still be that woman, if she didn't have her friends and job in her life. She didn't like that they were absent, but she was still Dr. Temperance Brennan.

But that was back when she knew she could return to them, that they were all safe, that her friends were all okay and unharmed.

Booth wasn't okay and he was injured, badly. Before he entered her life, she hadn't felt the need to change who she was, who she had been. She had friends, yes, but they were not as close as they were now. Only Angela really could be counted as a true friend. But Booth came along and started to change her. She didn't know how he did it, but she resisted every inch of the way.

It didn't matter that she resisted, it didn't matter that she had her life set before she met Booth. He made her want more out of life, he made her see beyond the lab, something Angela had been trying to do forever. She'd never tell Angela that, but Brennan figured that she knew anyway.

When Brennan had struck for more, she found that it was lacking. She was out sailing the world with a man who loved her. What more could a woman ask for? If she had been anyone but Dr. Temperance Brennan, she should have been happy, ecstatic, and thrilled at the trip . But she was Dr. Temperance Brennan, and she wasn't as happy as she should have been. She was happy; she was getting apply amounts of sex, which she always enjoyed, and she was spending time with a man that intrigued her and kept her thinking. But she wasn't happy enough. It didn't feel like what everyone said love should feel like. She felt like something was missing.

"Honey, have you been listening to a word we said?" Angela asked. Brennan shook her head, pulling it out of her protective embrace.

"I was thinking," Brennan said. "You're right. I should change."

"Okay, do you have any clothes?" Angela asked. She reached for the bag that Brennan had still slung around her shoulders.

"Clothes? what are you talking about?" Brennan narrowed her eyes a little trying to read Angela, but it failed, as usually.

"I think the question is 'what are you talking about?'" Angela asked. "Russ, think you can call Hodgins and Zack while I go make Bren look like she didn't just try and drown herself?"

"I didn't, I can swim quite well, thank you," Brennan said. She grabbed the bag back from Angela as she stood. Russ just nodded, walking off to find the phone somewhere in this place.

"I meant you need to change your clothes," Angela said. "And you're going to tell me what you just meant." There wasn't any room for argument in Angela's eyes. Brennan would have to tell her part of all of this at least.

She let Angela lead her towards a bathroom. "You going to try and avoid this conversation by changing quickly? Because I don't care if you go Karate Kid on me, I'm not letting you through that door until you talk to me."

"I don't know what that means," Brennan said. She took out her clothes of the bag, again, sending out a thought of thanks for Booth's gift. "But I need to talk to someone."

"Secrets, I like secrets," Angela said. She hopped up onto the sink, watching Brennan as she removed the wet shirt. She shivered as the cold air hit her skin.

"Its not a secret if I plan on telling you Angela," Brennan said. She looked at the door for a moment before taking off the pants. "I need to change."

"That's what you're doing here, changing clothing," Angela said.

"No, I need to change who I am," Brennan said. She took the t-shirt out, trying to hold back both the smile and tears as she looked at it.

The shirt was tropical print, bright and obnoxious, something Booth would love. She had bought it for him only a few days before, on a whim, but she did not know why she grabbed it out of the clothes she had on the boat. Slipping it on, she looked odd in the over-sized shirt, and Angela did not even attempt to hid the smile.

"I knew you had an odd taste in clothing, but Bren, that shirt does not work for you, hun," Angela said. She looked down at the shirt that dwarfed her frame.

"I bought it for Booth," Brennan said. She took the pair of sweatpants out of the bag and pulled them on. She felt a warmth settle around her.

"And yet you're wearing it," Angela said with a shake of her head. "I think you skipped a few steps." She patted the counter next to her, motioning for Brennan to take a seat.

"I don't know what that means," Brennan said as she sat on the counter. "But if you're referring to me and Booth, well, nothing is going on between us. I was with Sully."

"Was?" Angela said, catching the past tense. Brennan wanted to deny it, she wanted to say something to argue, but all she could do was nod her shoulders. "What happened? You said you were happy."

"I was, but it wasn't the type of happiness I wanted," Brennan said. Angela studied her for a moment, like she was a piece of art.

"Then why go with him?" Angela asked. Brennan knew she wasn't expecting a serious conversation, but she needed this right now, they both did. It wasn't so much of a distraction, rather a detour. It just gave them something to do while waiting. Brennan never liked that, especially when there were people she cared about involved.

"It was like an experiment. I took one aspect of my happiness, my relationship with Sully, and examined it alone," Brennan admitted. She leaned back against the mirror, trying to relax her body. Angela had always been supportive of her relationships, and even when she went off with Sully, she was supportive. But Brennan could tell that Angela hadn't put all of her heart in it. "I wanted to know that it was possible to be happy in a relationship that was not based just on sex."

"Didn't you have that before?" Angela asked. They both knew the answer, 'yes,' but there was more that Angela did know.

"But those times, I had my job, my few close friends," Brennan said. Angela gave a small smile to her, but quickly lost it. The conversation didn't call for many smiles, or at least it didn't from Brennan's side it didn't. "I wasn't as happy back then as I was with Sully. But that was before we left."

"What changed?"

"I didn't have my friends, my family," she couldn't help but smile at the next thought, "my job." Angela shared the small smile. Working with the Jeffersonian was so important to Brennan that she could begin to explain it to anyone. But Angela got because they worked together and had been friends for so long. Booth got it because he got her. Somehow...

"You weren't happy enough, were you?" Angela asked. Again, both knew the answer.

"Not enough, it wasn't enough." Brennan shook her head, staring pensively at the stalls. "Something was missing in the relationship. I don't know what it was, but it was missing." She sat back up, shifting a little under Angela's gaze. "I'm not good at these things, Angela."

"Looks like you can handle yourself pretty well." Again, an knowing smile.

"But with the things that matter," Brennan admitted. "You've known me for a long, Ange, you know I don't do the big questions well."

"Was this your way of tackling one those big questions?" Brennan shrugged her shoulders, not willing to commit to one way. "The big question being: can I find the right amount of happiness? As if you could measure it." Angela scoffed at the end.

"Not the right amount," Brennan said, looking at Angela. "The best for me. The best type of happiness for me. I want all parts of my life to be accepted, not just the physical."

"You really think Sully was just in it because of your body?" Angela looked a little shocked, but Brennan shook her head.

"Yes, no, I don't know, I just felt like he couldn't accept all of me, my job and my friends," Brennan said. Her body felt worn from the swim, and despite the power nap she took on the plane, she could use a few more hours.

"Sweetie, I don't think he had a problem with your job, you worked together on a case," Angela pointed out.

"Yeah, but he didn't like my friends."

"We got along fine, and I don't think Jack or Zack had any problems with him." Brennan couldn't fight the small smile that settled on her lips. Angela had left out Cam, which definitely was not one of her favorite people.

"But he didn't like Booth, I could tell, even if neither of them said anything," Brennan said. She wrapped her arms around herself, pulling her legs up for another self-hug. "Well, I could tell with Booth, not so much with Sully. I still have a hard time understanding people."

"But you understand Booth?" Brennan looked away, not liking where Angela was going.

"We're partners, Angela, you're the one who told me to open a little to him," Brennan said, still not looking at her friend. "We know each other pretty well."

"I'm sorry for saying this, but you _were_ partners, Bren," Angela took her hand, emphasizing the past tense. She really did not want to hear that; her relationship and partnership with Booth had become a prime element of how she defined herself. "Now, you're just friends."

"I know," Brennan said. She tucked her head back into her knees. "I don't like it." They sat there for a few moments, giving Brennan time to think. If they were just friends now, no longer partners, she wanted that back. That would be the first things she changed, or tried to. She wanted to be there for Booth.

"I want to change," Brennan said. "I thought I had when I started going out with Sully. But I didn't change enough."

"You have changed so much since we first met, Bren," Angela wrapped her arm around her friend, letting Brennan lean into her.

"Not enough to love," Brennan said. The tears were back, but she made no move to stop them, or hide them from Angela. "I haven't changed enough to love someone. I want that. I want that, with everything else I had." She had a good life, and with Sully she thought it could be better. But just having Sully in her life wasn't enough.

"Oh, sweetie," Angela wrapped both arms around her. They sat there for a bit, letting Brennan work out the emotions that had been boiling over since she heard the news. It felt good to release them, cathartic. "So what now?" Angela held out a towel to her, letting Brennan dry her eyes a bit.

"Now, we go out there and I say hello to the rest of my friends," Brennan said. She pushed herself off the counter. Her semi-wet clothes were a mess on the floor. "And check up on Booth." She nodded to herself, confirming the plan. Angela made no objects, just gave her another knowing smile.

"Just toss them, Bren, we'll go out for some retail therapy later," Angela said. Her best friend picked up the clothes and tossed them into the trash before Brennan could respond. Brennan slipped on the sandals, the sole article of clothing that Angela did not throw out.

"Do you mean those days where you drag me to update my clothes?" Brennan said. Angela had grabbed her bag and was out the door, having missed the question. Or more likely, choosing not to hear the question in the first place.

Angela had stopped in the middle of the hallway, about halfway back to Booth's room. She had turned to look at Brennan, a question in her eyes.

"What are you going to say to Sully when he comes here?"

"He's here?" Brennan froze in her steps. She hadn't thought that far ahead, and hadn't planned on speaking to him for at least a few days.

"No, but he'll be looking for you," Angela said. Brennan waved her off. She would deal with the problem when he got here.

She just referred to Sully as a problem.

She couldn't help the groan that came out, and she caught a smile on Angela's face. "You're enjoying my discomfort way too much."

"Only when I know I'm right," Angela said.

Brennan rolled her eyes, as Angela got the last word in. When it came to her relationships, any and every type, Angela always seemed to do that to her.

"Dr. Brennan!" Zack rushed over to her, like he was going to give her a hug. She would not have turned him down, but Zack seemed to move back into his shell at the last moment, stopping just in front of her. She missed him, and for a moment, forwent their student teacher relationship, and settled into their friendship.

"Its good to see you Zack," she said as she leaned forward and gave him a tight hug. She could tell he was surprised by it, as well as Hodgins who was standing by Angela. But Angela didn't seem to be surprised by Brennan's actions.

Brennan pulled back, and Hodgins took as step forward. He didn't hesitate to wrap her in a hug. They had opened up a little to each other after their experience with Gravedigger...

"Thank you for sending the plane," she said. Hodgins waved her off as he pulled back, taking a step closer to Angela.

"What's the point of having all that money if you're not going to use it." Hodgins said with his usually self-depreciation. "Nice shirt by the way."

"I got one for each of you, but I..." She didn't want to say she left them, to tell them the truth, but she did not even think about that stuff. All she could concentrate on was Booth when she got the call from Angela.

"That's okay," Hodgins said, giving her another smile that quickly faded from his face. he looked around a bit, as if trying to find someone. "Where's Sully?" Brennan tensed at the mention of the name, but Angela spoke before she could.

"Probably trying to figure out where Bren is," Angela said. Brennan would have told her off, but Angela was right. She didn't know where Sully was, and frankly she didn't care. She didn't want to dwell on her relationship with him; she had enough sadness in her life to deal with at the moment.

"Where's Russ?" Brennan asked, immediately looking for her brother.

"Right here." She turned to see her brother walking up behind her, balancing a tray of coffee. "Figured you might want something to wake you up."

"Thanks," Brennan said. She managed a smile, though a small one was the best she could come up with. She took the drink, cradling it gently. She wasn't thirsty or even tired, but the warmth was good.

She walked with the group to Booth's room, Russ and Angela flanking her. She let her body go through the motions as her mind began to work through everything. Or at least something Angela had told her. Something that didn't sit right with her.

"Ange, what would he call me if he didn't call me Bones?" Everyone stopped, and exchanged looks. Brennan guessed that the looks had to do with something Booth said to them. Something that was not good for her.

"Bones was what he called you when you were partners," Angela said. "When you left, he started to call you Temperance. Because that was what your friends called you." Brennan saw her chair across from Booth's room. She needed to sit before her legs gave out.

She was not expecting that. Her other friends. Booth felt like he was no longer a special person in her life. His nickname for her always differentiated their relationship from any other friendship she had. Like how Angela shorted up her last name instead of calling her by her first. She hated it at first, when he called her that. She was thought it was derogatory and demeaning of her profession and of her.

She had grown used to it though, and she would have never admitted to this before, or even realized that this, but there were days where she waited and wished for Booth's voice to carry over to her office, yelling 'Bones!' to get her attention. Like he didn't have it already when he walked into a room. She just had gotten used to multitasking so well that she could focus on his presence while still getting work done.

Now, she wasn't going to have that. That part of her life that grew out a little blackmail. She knew how her life would be without Booth in it, as her partner.

You don't know what you'll miss until its gone.

She had left because she didn't want to miss her chance at love, at a solid stable happiness. But she had left behind a unstable friendship that she had come to cherish. A friendship that she didn't want to break because they were no longer partners. All because she left.

"I need to know what happened." Brennan finally asked. everyone had moved around her, though only Angela had sat down beside her.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Russ asked. "I mean, we have some time."

"No, I need to know what happened," Brennan shook her head. She had to know, so she could understand. She had to understand so she could help Booth. She had to help Booth because she didn't want to go back to how her life was, without him in it.


	3. Learn from Experiences

Clothes of Heaven

Written by gwmclintock9

A/N: I'm surprised at how fast I got this chapter out. I'll be honest, I should wait until I have at least the next one started, but I've never been that style of writer.

This chapter begins to explain through a series of flashbacks what happened to Booth, and well the rest of the squints, when Bones left. The story we see here is the altered beginning of "The Priest in the Churchyard." I took some liberties, especially with Booth's gambling as the show makes does not make as large of a deal out it because he no longer is a degenerate gambler. I don't know how long he had been a gambler, and if someone knows where to find that info, then I'll change it. Otherwise, I think I'm set on that aspect.

I hope you enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you think.

On with the show.

**I0I**

"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. "

- Douglas Adams

**I0I**

He had been drifting in and out of consciousness since they had brought him in. He heard voices invariably through the night, but they barely disrupted him.

As the pain and medication coursed through his body, he felt his mind slipping back to when this had all started.

Back when _she_ left him.

Not just him, but the rest of them as well, but even if he didn't show it to the world, he knew that he probably took it the hardest out of everyone in their group, even Angela.

He just refused to show it. To them at least. Cullen knew that he took the hit hard, and so did his sponsor.

**I0I**

_"I need a few days sir," Booth said. He stood in front of Cullen's desk,having talked to him first thing in the morning. He did not expect any resistance to the ideal; he had just finished a case, and he would need to be assigned a new partner, or maybe even reassigned all together. At the moment, either were choices for him._

_"Have a seat Booth," Cullen said, motioning to a chair. Booth nodded, keeping his body rigid. He refused to show any emotion, because if he showed one, then the rest would work they way through. The director stared at him for a few moments, then spoke to him. "Is this about Dr. Brennan leaving?"_

_"I need a few days off, sir, to release some stress," Booth said. Cullen stared at him for a moment before getting up and closing the door of his office. He felt his body relax as the rest of the agents weren't going to be able to stare at him; despite most of them being lost in their own worlds, that was how he felt. _

_"Okay, I can give you two days, that is all that I can really afford at the moment," Cullen said. _

_"That's more than enough, sir," Booth said. It was silent for a moment, like Cullen was sizing him up. _

_"But I want the truth," Cullen stared down at him, "Do you want to continue to work with Jeffersonian? Even without Dr. Brennan?" _

_Booth took out deep breath, before letting it go. He wanted the time off to think about what he wanted, if he wanted to continue where he was. _

_Working with the Jeffersonian was a great experience, especially since he had found a friend in Bones. She was the one that had made his friendships with the squints possible. He had been forced to look at the world through a different set of glasses, given perceptive on things that he never would have thought of before. Of course, this meant that he now questioned peoples motives a little more often, which he could help but do, since all Bones did was spout off anthropological babble about people. _

_But the other question was, could he give up was what his only stable connection with Bones? Working with the Jeffersonian? She had dropped him out of her life when she left with Sully. She dropped them all. And now here he had the perfect opportunity to leave, and now look back. He had done that enough with other things in his life, or tried to. _

_Now, he was sure that if he did, he'd be accepted anywhere he wanted to transfer, even into an administrative position. He could use the change, but he couldn't leave Parker. Not after he fought so hard for Rebecca to give him some of his parental rights. He still could move away from the Jeffersonian and not have anything to fear because he didn't really have ties there. _

_"Sir, with your approval," Booth said, taking a deep breath. His gut rarely steered him wrong, and now was just another time that he followed it. "I'd like to continue to work with the Jeffersonian."_

_"Very well," Cullen said, as if he expected that answer. And it being Cullen, he probably did. He pulled out a form, probably a request form for a partner. Do you believe that Dr. Addy is proficient enough to work in the field?" _

_"With respect to Dr. Addy's knowledge and expertise, I do not think he would be able to handle all of the work in the field," Booth said. Especially the human interaction. Zack knew his subject but still found it difficult to make the connection with people. Bones had that problem, but she worked well with him. _

_Booth doubted that any partner he received could compare to Bones. _

_"I expect to see you here, in my office, in two days," Cullen said. Booth nodded, taking the words as dismissal, got up to leave. _

_As he got to the door, Cullen spoke again. "Booth," he turned to look at his boss, "seven years."_

_"And counting sir," Booth said, giving him a half-hearted grin. _

_"And I expect it be that when you come back," Cullen gave him another almost glare, but Booth nodded nonetheless. He left, heading off to fight a demon alone, one that he hadn't fought in years. _

**I0I**

"So you don't know where he went?" Brennan asked. Her gaze had not moved from Booth's bed, staring there in case there was the slightest movement. Angela shook her head, smiling at the concern on her friend's face.

"He came back two days later with a case, but when I pulled him aside to ask him about it, he just said that he had to take care of something," Angela said. Brennan took a chance and looked at Angela before her head snapped back to watch Booth.

"Can we stay here?" Brennan asked. She didn't look to check her watch or phone, but she knew it was late, by the tired looks that everyone had on. Or at least the tired looks she had seen before she started her watch.

"The nurses understand," Angela said, then got an evil grin on her face. "We're family. I'm his sister, Jack the brother-in-law, Zack, the annoying the cousin. Russ is also the brother-in-law."

"So he's related to Hodgins then?" Brennan asked. She tore her gaze away, looking at the two men. Both of them had the same grin, like they knew a secret too good to keep. And they found it funny as well. She didn't like it.

"No, honey, Russ is related to you," Angela said.

"Yes, I know that," Brennan said, looking at them all now, "but what does that have to do with what you told the nurses?"

"If Russ is Booth's brother-in-law, then that means that you are either his sister or wife, however, I suspect that Angela told the nurses that you were his wife," Zack said. Brennan looked at her assistant before nodding, accepting the information. It was a very Angela thing to do. "Especially since you were given power of attorney over him."

"What?"

**I0I**

_He did not know how long he had been there, sitting in his car. It had to have been since he left the office, early that morning. He drove out of instinct, having done it a hundred times before. Hell, there were a hundred places closer that he remembered, but he still drove here. _

_She had showed concern for him when the first time they had ever been at a casino together, which surprised the hell out of him. He could take care of himself, and others. He was a protector, that was what he did. And they were chasing someone, and she stops to help him. _

_She never ceased to surprise him, even when she left, that was a surprise to him. He had expected her to stay. He told her to go because he thought it would make her happy, but she never listened to him. Well, maybe not never, just most of the time she choose to go against what he was saying. _

_He didn't know why he told her to go, just like he didn't know why he was here. _

_It just seemed like a good idea at the time. _

_He flipped open his phone, and started to press one, to speed dial, but stopped. Bones had taken that place over the course of the year. It used to belong to his sponsor. _

_It took him a moment to find his sponsors number in his list of contacts, but he found it. He brought the phone to his ear, staring out the window of his car._

_"Hey, Chuck, it's Seeley," he let out a long breath, one he did not know he was holding, "I'm sitting outside Atlantic City. Tell me I'm making a mistake." _

**I0I**

He could hear this voices, but nothing beyond murmurs.

There was a weight in his hand...his left hand. It was awkward, not evenly distributed. He wanted to flex his fingers, to bring them around the object, but he couldn't.

He fell back into memories before he had the chance think about the little object held in his hand.

All he could think, as the darkness took hold again and the place where his memories stirred, was that some sort of guardian, an angel came to him, and gave him the faith to hold on.

**I0I**

_"We've got a case squints!" Booth yelled, waving the file above his head. He had just spent the last hour, talking with his new partner. This was going to be an awkward couple of moments, telling the squints that they weren't free of him yet. _

_"Special Agent Booth, what are you doing here?" Zack was the first to notice, which really wasn't a surprise to him. Angela had stopped shocked, in front of her doorway._

_"I am the FBI liaison to the Jeffersonian, which means that when there is a case necessary for all of your unique talents they drop it on my lap," Booth said as he swiped his card. His partner walked up behind him, leaning against the railing. "This Special Agent Banks, he will be working in the field with me as much as is necessary." _

_They all stared at the man standing beside Booth, causing him to smirk a little. It felt good to be able to pull one over on the squints, when usually they kept the wool over his eyes. Not that it was on purpose, but sometimes the way they spoke was enough to give any man a headache. _

_Banks was in his late-forties, but looked anywhere between fifty-five and sixty-five. He had known Banks from several cases they worked together when Booth first started in the Bureau, and he always respected the man. It did surprise him that Banks wanted to work with the squints, as he was more of a gut-thinker then Booth was. He was the man that taught Booth to follow his gut. _

_Banks wore his age well, the stress of the job not costing him his fitness or stamina. Booth knew that it had cost Banks two marriages and three children. He admired the guy for his dedication, but took to heart the fact that Banks could not handle being a father and an FBI agent. If Booth took anything from their partnership, it was that he must maintain a balance in his life between family and work. A balance that had been blurred by Bones..._

_"Banks, this is Dr. Hodgins, our resident entomologist, that's bugs, and expert on spores and minerals," Booth said, walking over to Hodgins. Hodgins was too liberal for his taste but he knew his dirt and Booth respected him for it. The man nodded, still sizing up the larger Banks. Booth was probably going to get an earful of conspiracies over this, something he surprisingly got used to after all this time. _

_"Next is Dr. Zack Addy, forensic anthropologist," Booth said. He put a hand on Zack's shoulder, causing the kid to stiffen up. He knew Bones wanted him to be friendly with the kid so he'd make an effort. For her sake. "He's good, and will be doing most of the field examinations we get."_

_"I am?" Zack asked, the thought clearly frightening the kid._

_"He is?" Cam said, raising an eyebrow at Booth. Booth just smirked, already knowing the answer._

_ He had cleared it with both Cullen and Cam's boss, Dr. Goodman. The man may be on a sabbatical, however, he still technically was the boss, no matter what Cam said. Goodman had reassured Booth that as long as he respected that the team's primary work was with the skeletons in limbo, although Goodman did not call it that, that what Booth needed from the team would be provided. _

_"He is," Booth said. He walked over to Angela, getting her to smile. He knew Angela enjoyed being the center of attention, what artist didn't? "This lovely lady is Angela Montenegro. She works on forensic facial reconstructions, meaning once Dr. Addy has completed bone markers, she reconstructs the face. She often is able to reconstruct the crime scene as well. She an accomplished artist as well, with some of the best work I've seen, both in the lab and out." _

_"Booth, you're making me blush," Angela said with a laugh in her voice. Booth just smiled wider at Angela's lightheartedness. _

_"Also, if she makes any quirky comments about you, just accept them," Booth said, causing her to laugh again. He knew to put up with them, because it was her way to show she cared. No matter how infuriating it was. "Its easier than fighting her."_

_"Glad you finally realized that Booth," Angela said. He managed to get all of the squints, well all but Cam to smile. Cam was still glaring at him, probably for going over her head._

_"And last, but certainly not least, is the our resident forensic pathologist, Dr. Camille Saroyan," Booth said, walking over to her. Cam smiled politely at Banks, before glaring at Booth again. "She also is the boss of these squints, though they often act like it isn't true. Still, she does a great job keeping them all in line, as best as anyone can." Cam softened at this, acknowledging he respected her authority. Which he did; they all did in fact. Just because he and the rest of the squints tended to circumvent her when it suited them, didn't mean they didn't respect her authority. _

_"So this is your fabled team?" Banks asked, still leaning against the railing. Booth nodded, watching the squints all take pride in their work. _

_"Best in the biz," Booth said. He had learned that rather quickly, especially when they seemed to pull evidence out of nowhere to get him a closed case. "Which means that we've got to get to work." He flipped open the file, taking out copies of the report. He handed one to Cam and the other to Zack. Hodgins read over Zack's shoulder like he expected and Angela just looked at Booth. Staring at him like had the answers to questions. Booth knew that her questions were not about the case. _

_"Some grave-robbers were digging in a churchyard, and hit a water main," Booth started._

_"We were asked to assist with the identification of the remains," Cam said, " but we've been swamped with other work since Dr. Brennan left." The other squints lost their smile at this, and Booth felt himself have to work to keep his face even. Bones leaving was still a sore point, with them all. It was reality though, so they had to deal with it and move on. He could just lie to himself better then they could it seemed._

_"I understand that, however the people they did get to do the job, were not as good as you," Booth said. He knew that playing to the egos of these squints always worked, and he was once again proven right. "It took them a few days to figure out that one of the skeletons did not belong."_

_"This says it was recorded as being five years old, while the rest were at least fifty," Zack said. "Are we going to get the skeleton to examine?"_

_"Its on the way as we speak," Banks said. "I contacted the morgue that was holding it this morning and they shipped it priority last night." Booth nodded, smiling as Banks took a part in this. He knew first hand how intimidating the squints could be, Banks was taking it all in stride. He caught Angela staring at him, like she wanted to ask him a question. _

_"Banks, you want to go over the rest of it with them," Booth said. He handed over the file, though he knew the man didn't need it. Had a memory like a steel trap. "I need to discuss something with Angela." Banks nodded, moving off the rail and closer to the rest of the squints. Angela nearly bounded over to Booth as he walked off the platform and over to her office. _

_"Spill," Angela said once they were inside her office. "Where were you these past few days?"_

_"Worried about me Angela?" He joked, holding off from answering. He didn't want to tell them, as it hadn't effected his work, or would it ever. "Hodgins know about this? And he isn't jealous?"_

_"Of course I'm worried about you Booth," Angela said, with a glint in her eye, "and what Jack doesn't know can't hurt him." Booth couldn't help the laugh that came out. "But seriously where were you?"_

_"I needed some time off," Booth said with a shrug. "I had to make some choices, and I did." _

_"What choices?" Angela questioned. He nearly chuckled at her determination. She would have been good in the interrogation room. _

_"Whether or not to stick around here. Transfer. Move on." Booth said with another shrug of his shoulders. He did not want to do any of those, especially when it came to Bones. But her leaving gave him those options. Options he would have never considered before. _

_"What did you decide?" Angela asked. She looked worried, more so then she had when he first entered._

_"I decided that Temperance was not my only friend here," Booth said. Angela looked torn between hugging him and crying. He spoke the truth, but it hurt just the same not to call Temperance 'Bones'."While I didn't get the rest of you, I figured that it was worth the risk by staying on here." _

_"That the only reason?" Angela asked. Booth didn't want to admit to anyone, especially Angela, that he stayed because he knew that Bones would be back eventually. As much as it hurt to see her with another guy, which he hadn't figured out why it did but it did hurt, he would rather have her as his friend only, if she did not want to be his partner anymore. _

_Booth shrugged his shoulders, not committing to any one answer. He would rather have her speculate, because often she missed the simple answer for the larger one. _

_And the simple answer was he missed Bones, more than he wanted to admit, and more than he liked for a person he had just considered a friend. _

_"Look, to be honest, I took the time off to re-prioritize my life, and figure out what was important to me," Booth admitted. It was the truth, just not the entirety of it. He left out that he had to try and find a center in his life without Bones in it. "I like working here with all of you so I decided to stay on, despite Temperance leaving." He couldn't speak the nickname, the one he had given her. To say it, was to bring up an emotion that he did not feel ready to discuss. Even Cullen did not push him to talk to Gordon Gordon about it. At least, right now. The directer would eventually force him to talk about it, but for now, he was free from delving too deeply into that pit. _

_Angela studied him for a moment, as if he was a piece of art. He did not shift under her gaze, he merely stared back. There was no hint of smile on his face to belay his relief that she did not question his feelings for Bones, nor was there a speck of pain to show how much it hurt that Bones left. In the end, Angela simply nodded before threading her arm through his as they walked out of her office._

_"You do know you'll have to tell me the truth eventually," Angela said as they walked back to the rest of the team._

_"By the time I do, you'll probably have figured it out," Booth said with a smile. He was ready to be lost in the work and turned to the squints to begin their case. _

**I0I**

"When did he do that?" Brennan asked. Booth never told her that, she thought she'd have to sign some form or something. Not that she would deny him his request, but still it shocked her enough to lose any train of thought. "Why did he do that?"

Angela shrugged her shoulders, not committing to any one answer.

Booth trusted his life in her hands, hands that didn't deserve him. She had left him, when she should have stayed.

Brennan took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She never held the life of someone in her hands, or at least a life she cared so much for. There was no danger to him, at least, none that she was told he was in. "Do I need to know anything? How bad is it?" She could not help the worry that crept through her voice. She had at least suppressed the shiver of fear.

"He's just sleeping off the medication, Bren," Angela said, patting her hand. Brennan nodded, letting out the breath she was holding. She turned her gaze back to Booth, staring at the sleeping form. "He was in a lot of pain, so they increased the dosage."

"Start for the beginning, Ange, I need to know everything," Brennan said. She was getting frustrated by the way Angela kept jumping around. She needed to keep things linear, to help her sort out her own emotions as well as sort the ones she knew she'd feel once they got to the climax of the story.

Because that was what this was to her, a story, a work of fiction that she did not want to believe. But she had to, if only so she did not make the same mistake twice. If only so that she may be forgiven for the mistakes that she couldn't change.


	4. Ready to Reason

Clothes of Heaven

Written by gwmclintock9

A/N: This chapter continues to explain the changes within "The Priest in the Churchyard." The flashbacks are all from Booth's perspective, and I'm trying to convey his frustration and loneliness from Bones' departure. I hope I succeed and if you feel there is something missing or I should address something more, please let me know. I'll be moving on to "Killer in the Concrete" next chapter.

I do not own Bones. Hart Hanson, Kathy Reichs and Fox Corp have that honor.

I hope you enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you think.

On with the show.

**I0I**

"When I'm getting ready to reason with a man, I spend one-third of my time thinking about myself and what I am going to say -- and two-thirds thinking about him and what he is going to say. "

Abraham Lincoln

**I0I**

"The case was different than any of the others we've had," Angela started. Brennan knew that her friend hadn't meant to make her feel more guilty for leaving, but no matter what she did, until she talked with Booth, she would carry her guilt silently. "It took us longer then usual to figure it out. Booth and Banks did not agree on some things."

"What do you mean?"

"Banks was unwilling to listen to Booth's opinion, on anything," Angela said. "It started before they even left the building. The two of them were arguing over about the case. It seemed like Banks thought there wasn't much to it." Brennan tried to picture Booth sticking up for her friends, but found herself lost in the picture of him, a picture of him arguing, just like he had down with her a hundred, maybe a thousand times before. A hyperbole, but still, Brennan could not count the number of times they argued, or the topics that they argued about. But she never felt like she lost, or thought that Booth lost. It was a healthy debate between them.

"And Booth thought otherwise?" Brennan asked. "He doesn't know anything about bones, how did he know what to look for?"

"He didn't, but he said he trusted us," Angela said.

"What did you find?" Brennan asked. She needed something to take her mind off the case, something to make her focus on a memory other than the one of him just lying there in the bed. Like he had been when he stood in front of her fridge and...

"Hodgins found silver particulates embedded within the skull," Angela said. Brennan knew that her friend did not understand all of the material but she knew enough and told the story well enough that Brennan would be able to lose herself in it.

**I0I**

_Booth stood on the platform, staring down his partner. Banks had listened to the same evidence he had, the same facts, and had the gall to say there wasn't a case. "We've made a case off of less than this before." Booth said. He did not like it when someone insulted the squints, only he could insult them. It was part of his job requirement, bringing them down a peg or two, respectfully. _

_"They haven't give us anything," Banks countered. Booth had thought that the older man would respect his rank on this. As the FBI liaison to the Jeffersonian, he wad the ranking agent, despite Banks' age and experience. _

_"They have given us material from the murder weapon, silver smelted in the 1800s?" Booth looked over at Hodgins for confirmation. The scientist wore a smug look, but nodded. Probably was enjoying the dissension between the two FBI agents. "We have a sketch of the victim-"_

_"That isn't reliable, it probably won't even hold up in court," Banks waved him off. _

_"Banks, it is Angela's sketches that give us our victim, give us the start of the truth," Booth said. "From her sketches we can begin to look at missing persons or have people in the area identify them. But it all starts with Dr. Addy." Booth motioned behind him in Zack's general direction, causing the younger man to start. "Dr. Addy rebuilds the skulls for us if they are shattered or broken. For that alone, you should respect his skills and efforts. Without the skull we can not give you a face." Booth spoke as if he were a part of the team that did all that. He knew he wasn't, he never had been. His job was to find those responsible for what happened to them, to find justice. _

_He didn't notice the way that Zack stood a little taller at Booth's words. He didn't see the smiles that the other squints had when he defended him either. _

_"So give it a rest Banks, show them the respect they have earned and deserve." All of the squints straightened up. _

_"Fine, we'll play it your way," Banks said, giving a show of throwing in the towel. He knew the older agent would work the case, however, begrudgingly so. They would probably be arguing the moment they left the Jeffersonian. _

_Booth had trusted Banks and modeled his early career after the agent. He was a good agent before working with the Jeffersonian, but it wasn't until Bones became his partner that he began to receive the attention of being a great agent. Some of the things that Banks taught him, such as following his gut, had served Booth well. But it was the other things, like not trusting science completely, that had given Booth cause to ignore the aspects of forensics. Bones taught him otherwise. _

_Even when they argued, it was never about the job. The job was something that Bones and him both respected, and when they did argue, Booth felt comfortable enough in his own beliefs and knowledge to admit to faults, most of the time. Religion was not one such topic that he would ever give in on, if only because he needed his faith to help ease his guilt. Maybe Bones would understand that some day. _

_He shook his head, stopping those wishful thinking thoughts. "As I was saying, we have the sketch. We still need to identify the victim, and to do that, we'll need you to come with us up there Angela. On Sunday, actually." _

_"Why Sunday?" Zack asked. He had gotten out a set of bones from limbo and had begun to work on them while they spoke. Banks glared at him from time to time, but Booth took it in stride. The squints were busy people, and often needed to keep busy to stay out of trouble. Cam seemed to agree as she let Zack work on them whenever he asked, even while they were going through this investigation. _

_"They have mass on Sunday," Cam said. "You going to have the parishioners identify him." Banks nodded, but still kept his steeled face. _

_"He was only buried for five years, so we assume that they knew him," Banks said. _

_"Its the best that we can do at this time," Booth said before the squints, mainly Zack and Hodgins could just in and question the assumption. Both looked more than ready to do so, if only for different reasons. "If that fails, then we'll contact missing persons."_

_"Sounds like a plan," Cam said. She had been a cop before she moved to the lab, and understood what they needed to do, from this side of the fence. Booth felt like he was still learning how to walk on their side. "From what Zack told me, there were postmordem wounds that would have been caused by someone dragging him. There were no parimordem, defensive wounds."_

_"Which means what?" Banks glared at her. _

_"It means that the victim did not fight back, so we can conclude that he was incapacitated in some manner." Hodgins said with a roll of his eyes. Cam gave him a short look, admonishing him for the lack of tact, but continued with her information._

_"I am currently identifying what could have caused his incapacitation," Cam said. "I've got to run a toxicology before I can give you a definite identity." _

_"If you can get us a list of the things that would have those toxins in it, we'll compare them to those we can find at the church," Booth said. He knew the squints would come through for him, they always did. _

_Banks nodded, confirming the decision before he head off for the evening. There was little more that either of them could do until they headed out on Sunday. He did not feel like heading back to to his apartment, ready for another lonely weekend. When Bones was here, as least she kept him busy with the work on the weekend. Now, he didn't find much else to do, which prompted him to look at the classes some of the colleges in the area were offering. _

_This case felt awkward,like something was missing. He knew what it was, who it was, but he wasn't going to acknowledge it to anyone. There were parts of this case that he felt Banks missed, that he missed because he lacked the scientific knowledge that Bones did. She saw things differently then he did, and because both Banks and him saw the same, or close to the same, what they saw overlapped. It was why he needed to trust the squints more. He'd go back to distrusting him if he got a partner that understood science better. Or if Bones came back._

_His thought train crashed, dispelling those thoughts. It did not bode well for him to worry about her, when there was no need to. She was with... Sully, but more importantly, she could take care of herself. Even if she put up with him protecting and taking care of her at times. _

_She made it up to him though, 'protecting' him from the squints. He felt so stupid sometimes when they talked, or even when they were addressed. All of them doctors, except Angela and she designed that amazing machine. He understood what Banks was feeling, the intimidation he felt when the squints spoke. Booth still didn't know half the words coming out of their mouths at times, but he was getting better, understanding more. Bones made it possible for him to understand more. _

_Looking back at the squints, talking about whatever was next on their list of endless tests for an endless amount of bones in limbo, he realized how small he felt when with them. They did not intentionally belittle his intelligence, but it was something that happened on more than one occasion. _

_With another look back at them, huddled together, working together, he fought the discomfort in his stomach that had settled in nearly two weeks ago. He left with a wave and headed off for another lonely night at home. He needed to move on, but from what, he still had not figured out._

**I0I**

"The car ride up to the church was so tense," Angela said. Brennan nodded, listening to the story as she watched a nurse walk into Booth's room. Brennan stood, watching the nurse for a moment before sitting back down. She finally noticed they were left alone in the hall, Jack, Zack and Russ leaving them alone.

Angela continued on as if Brennan had never moved. "Banks refused to speak, so that left me and Booth talking," she said. "I couldn't pester him about his personal life, like I would if it was him and I alone, or you were with us." Brennan wanted to question on why it would be alright for Angela to talk with Booth about his personal life when she was there. Granted the two of them were also friends, good friends, but Brennan had seem Booth clench when she brought of her personal life at times. Though, when he clenched it was usually her talking about sex...

"I ended up asking what he had been up to, which turned out not to be much," Angela said. "He sounded lonely, like he did not know what to do with himself."

"Booth's always had something to do," Brennan said. Booth never sounded lonely, far from it most of the times. The only thing close to loneliness that he felt was when he wasn't seeing Parker enough.

"He's always had the job and you, hun," Angela said. "He never really talked about any other friends he had with us." Brennan felt another stab of guilt rise through her. She hadn't realized how important Booth took their friendship, how much it meant to him. She knew the job was so important to him, but not important enough to forgo other friendships besides those with her co-workers. It was another regret that she had to her long list.

"I didn't know either, Bren, so don't feel too bad," Angela said. Apparently, her discomfort was that obvious, but Brennan shook off Angela's attempts.

"I should have known," Brennan whispered. "We talked so much outside of work sometimes that I never thought about him having other friends." She shared everything with Booth, or most of the things that she felt comfortable enough to share. She had always felt like he wasn't sharing everything with her, not telling her some things, but now she could not help but think that was he wasn't telling her was that he did not have that much to tell. That even he had trouble opening up to others.

But they felt safe enough to confide in each other.

"So what did you find at the church?" Brennan directed the conversation back toward the case. She would have enough time to worry about Booth's interactions with herself and others later.

"There was a kid there that recognized the face, belonging to a past priest, Father McCourt," Angela said. "He had supposedly abused some of his parishioners, though Booth thought that there was more to it than just that."

"Anything else?" Brennan knew that Booth was more observation of the human nature than she ever could be. She saw the big picture of human nature, the reasons why people do or believe in the things that they do. Booth, though, saw people differently; he saw them separately and could catch their minute changes in body language.

"Banks thought it was the older priest, a cranky man, spare the rod and spoil the child type, if you know what I mean," Angela said. Brennan stared at her for a moment before nodding. She had heard the phrase several times before, and Angela finally used a cultural idiom that she understood. "But Booth said that didn't sit right, especially when the tox screen came back."

"What did it say?"

"Father McCourt was being poisoned by the yew needles in the church's garden," Angela said. "Booth was the one who kept pointing out that the other priest there, Father Matt, was sick as well. He convinced Father Matt to come in for some testing." Angela shook her head, staring at the door to Booth's room. "I don't know how he caught that, or even noticed that priest was that sick, but Booth did. Banks fought tooth and nail about it for a while, right up until Cam did the testing, but he was right." Angela shook her head, her voice dropped to a whisper. "The case hit Booth hard. He disappeared again for a bit afterward."

"He's Catholic and strongly believes in that religion. Something that makes him question his faith, a stronghold for him, would of course hit him hard," Brennan said. Angela stared at her for a moment, and Brennan shifted under the gaze.

"It took us a week to figure that out." Angela just started at her. Brennan shrugged her shoulders, trying to remove some of the discomfort she felt. She did not know why she understood that part about Booth so well. Religion was archaic, but Booth believed in it, therefore it was important for her to accept that part of him.

"He identifies strongly with the idea of redemption, and the act of someone of his church, taking the life of another and acting against the beliefs he has been raised upon, would cause him considerable mental anguish," Brennan said. She wanted to think that she would have been able to help him, but a part of her felt like she would have blamed him in some way if she had chosen not to go with Sully. "Was Father Matt alright?"

Angela nodded still not meeting her gaze. "We got to him just in time, the dose wasn't high enough to kill him, but any more he would have permanently been damaged. they brought Father Donlan in, the old cranky priest, because Banks said they had enough evidence to support the arrest warrant for him. I even thought he did it, since I met him, the man looked like he was going to punch Banks for some of his comments."

"What did Booth think?" Brennan asked. "Did he think it was the priest as well?"

"I asked him that, and he said, and I quote 'While I believe there is the statistical probability that Father Donlan committed this crime, I do not believe that the motive matches the evidence.'" Angela said. Brennan stared at her for a moment. The statement sounded like something she would have said, only after being prodded by him. "Banks had Father Donlan brought it. It took until the case was over for me to get the answers out of Booth."

**I0I**

_Booth stood there, in the observation room as he watched Father Donlan talk to his administrator. Once the priest had said he knew what had happened, Booth's own thoughts had been confirmed. Father Donlan was getting too old to run the church, and Father Matt was the likely candidate for his replacement. The 'new age' philosophy that Father Matt used worked; it got people to want to go to church again, to feel that it was okay to believe in God again. _

_The administrator, Lorriane Bergin, had poisoned Father McCourt with boiled yew in his tea. The dose had been too high and ended up killing Father McCourt. The priest fell and hit his head, but Bergin hit him again with the silver chalice the church had to make sure. Father Donlan would have taken the blame, and Banks seemed to accept that, but Booth knew that the priest could not lie once his hand was placed on the bible. He reminded Donlan about that, also reminding the priest that forgiveness begins with acknowledging our sins. _

_Watching Bergin talk with Father Donlan, he wanted to say that her heart was in the right place. But he had seen so many murders, caught too many killers to let even the best intentions go. No one life was more important than another. Spock had it wrong. The needs of the many did not outweigh the needs of the few. _

_He let Banks take the collar and start the arrest forms while he head toward the Jeffersonian. He wanted to let the squints know the case was closed, and thank them for their help. Bones usually did that for him, usually conveyed his thanks to them. It wouldn't be too awkward,but he knew that he'd have to leave for the empty apartment again. _

_Maybe he could hit up a bar,find some chick for a one night stand..._

_No, he shook he head as he head out to the SUV. He never was the type of guy to pick up someone for just mindless sex. Even when he tried that with Cam, it ended badly. If anything, that attempt with Cam only reinforced his belief that he could not have 'just sex.' He needed the stability of a relationship, a strong one, to hold onto at times. _

_He walked into the Jeffersonian without fanfare, ready to tell them the news and head out. He stopped short and watched them for a moment, smiling slightly at their interactions. They were a close group of friends, and at times, he thought they were closer than some of the soldiers he served with. _

_It was obvious to him that Zack and Hodgins were being reprimanded for something they had done, probably an unauthorized experiment. Angela stood off to the side, a large smile on her face at her friends discomfort. Cam seemed to be enjoying her reprimand as well as he could see the break in her emotions from time to time. _

_"Great job squints!" Booth yelled as he swiped his card. He bounded up the stairs to the platform,and took his place across from them._

_"We got him?" Angela asked, the first to figure out why he was here. Zack and Hodgins still looked in shock at Cam's speech. _

_"Her. We got her." Booth said before launching into a short recap of the interrogation. _

_Cam and Hodgins seemed to understand the entirety of the case, that the administrator thought she was protecting the children from pedophiles. Hodgins was muttering something about conspiracies to Zack as he explained it to him. Booth resisted the urge to roll his eyes as Angela stared at him for a few moments. Cam headed off to finish her end of the paper work. _

_"You finished this one pretty quickly, all things considered," Angela said. He shrugged his shoulders, figuring she meant without Bones to help. _

_"Not really, we still cleared the case, but it took us longer than I would have liked," Booth said. "Any longer and we may have been looking at a double homicide." Angela's face was grim as she nodded before looking over at her boyfriend and the youngest squint._

_"We usually head out for drinks after a case," Angela said. Booth nodded, knowing Bones had offered him to come with them several times before. He declined then, letting them have their time with his partner. _

_But it was different for him now. He had chosen to stay because he wanted to be better friends with the squints. They challenged him as an FBI Agent, and he felt like in turn he challenged them as people. He stayed because they were a connection to Bones, a connection he sought to keep. _

_"Sounds nice," Booth said, giving her half a smile. He hadn't much use for the charm smile since Bones left. _

_Angela beamed at him before motioning her boys over. The two of them looked confused before she explained to them that he was going to drink them under the table tonight. He nearly groaned at her exaggeration, but nevertheless, the two took it in stride. Hodgins looked ready to complain about Banks, something that had quickly become a middle ground for the them, while Zack seemed puzzled at Booth's actions, supposedly breaking their status quo of 'guy interactions.' Angela told him that Cam would be joining them later, but Booth at the moment didn't care either way. _

_This was new for him, a different type of adventure, of challenge. He had never backed down from a challenge before, and finding common ground with these squints to become better friends seemed like one that would pay off for him in the end. _


	5. Some Overwhelming Question

Clothes of Heaven

Written by gwmclintock9

A/N: Okay, I got sidetracked a little with continuing the telling of what happened to Booth, but wait, I had a good reason... you finally get to see Booth's reaction to her. I hope that I have succeeded your expectations of this brief encounter between the two of them.

Next chapter will also not be about Killer in the concrete. I've got other plans because I've added a plot point or two.

Other than that, I hope you enjoy this chapter. The quotes is a personal favorite of mine as well as one of the most important quotes I've found I've yet to live up to. I try though, and that's what, I believe matters. Check out the poem. Brilliant.

Anywho...

Allons-y!

**I0I**

To have squeezed the universe into a ball  
To roll it towards some overwhelming question

- T.S. Eliot's _The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock_

**I0I**

Brennan took a moment to analyze everything Angela had told her. From sound of things, Booth was able to bridge the gap between the squints and him on his own. Without her help.

Maybe he didn't need her in his life anymore. Maybe he could get along without her, and she just hindered everything.

She pulled her knees up to her chest, grumbling to herself. She hated postulating scenarios without any evidence. All she had was conjectures, her feelings, which were irrelevant to the development of a conclusion.

The only logical conclusion she could come to at that moment, was that her life would be different without Booth in it, and that Booth's life would be and was different without her in it.

But the thought of not being apart of his life, somehow, that hurt more than she anticipated.

"Sweetie, you okay?" Angela touched her shoulder lightly.

Brennan moved her head up to respond, but her cell phone went off. She looked around frantically, not aware if they were allowed in this ward of the hospital. It could mess up the readings on Booth's machines or worse.

Opening and closing it quickly, she let out a breath. No nurses came running down to yell at her, but she did not want to take that chance and be thrown out. She needed to be there, whether Booth knew or not, she needed to be there.

If only for her own sanity.

"You didn't even check who it was," Angela said, a small smile dancing on her lips.

"It doesn't matter," Brennan said. She flipped it open though, her curiosity getting the better of her. Checking the missed calls, she saw Sully's name and number at the top of the list. She should have felt guilty that she hung up on him like that. She turned off the phone before placing it back into her bag.

"Who was it?" Angela asked in a tone that made Brennan guess that her best friend already knew. She shot Angela a glare, daring her to speak the name aloud. "He's going to be mad at you."

"Well, that's fine, he can be mad when he gets here," Brennan said, delaying the inevitable. "I don't feel like talking to him right now."

"You mean explain why you jumped ship, and are here?" Angela had that annoying smile, the one she used to reserve for teasing her about Booth. Brennan was hesitant to agree, but Angela was right.

"If I can't explain it to myself, how do I tell him?" Brennan asked.

"Well, I wouldn't tell him about the experiment aspect of it," Angela said, "no man likes to learn he's been apart of a relationship experiment." Brennan had never planned on telling anyone that aspect of her thought process, well maybe Booth if he asked her. Though he'd have to annoy her enough then throw on a charm smile just to appease her.

That smile...

Somehow, that smile got her to do just about anything that she did not want to do.

"When is he going to wake up?" Brennan asked. She pulled her knees from underneath the large shirt she wore. Standing up, she walked to the door, pressing her hand against the window.

She wanted to touch her partner, to know that this was real and not some nightmare. To reassure herself. To apologize for leaving like she had.

"It's almost morning, so I'm betting shortly," Angela said. Brennan stopped for a moment, finally realizing that she had been up for close to twenty four hours already. But she wasn't tired. Anxious would be a better word to describe how she felt.

"How long has he been asleep?" Brennan asked. She moved back to her seat next to Angela, her right hand absentmindedly playing with the now cool coffee.

"The better part of yesterday, and this past night or course," Angela said. "I called you when I first heard that your father and brother were on his trail."

"Why didn't you call me as soon as it happened? I would have been here," Brennan said.

"We didn't want you to panic," Angela said. A teasing smile appeared on her face as she spoke again. "Too much. We knew you'd panic no matter what."

"It's Booth, Ange, how could I not panic," Brennan muttered. She stood up, moving back to the door. She could feel Angela's eyes upon her as she stared at Booth's still form. "What do I tell him when he wakes up?" She felt the heart rate increase, her body tense up at the thought of going in there without some type or even smidgen of a plan.

"The truth," Angela said. A nurse walked down the hall with what Brennan would guess to be Booth's chart. "I think he'll be happy to see you."

"I hope so," Brennan said. The nurse entered the room, holding the door open for Brennan. She stared at it, feeling the anxiety build up questions.

What if he blamed her? What if he didn't recognize her? What if?...What if...?

"I'll go in with you Sweetie," Angela said, taking mercy on her. Brennan tried to smile, but the tears welling only made it even harder for her cheeks to move.

"I should have been here," Brennan whispered. She did not know how many times she had the phrase over the last few hours, or even thought it.

Angela stood from her chair, taking Brennan's hand in her own. "Lets go make sure that knight in shining FBI-issued body armor is awake." Brennan used her free hand to wipe away her tears as she resisted the slight tug on her hand. She did not want to go in, she did not feel ready to face him yet. To apologize to him yet.

She chose poorly last time she had been given an option regarding her relationships. She had chosen Sully, with the belief that her happiness could be found solely with him.

Her happiness could not rest upon one person. By choosing to believe that, Brennan had risked her friendship with Booth, a friendship she cherished as much as Angela's. That risk alone was not worth leaving.

She had made the wrong decision.

Nodding more to herself then Angela, she followed her best friend into the quiet room, not ready for the words she knew she would have to say.

She just wanted him to smile again, she needed him to smile again...

**I0I**

He closed his eyes, riding out as the wave of pain settled. His nightmares were fading, had been fading away for the better part of the evening.

He hated the morphine drip that he knew they set him up with. He did not dream often, even while on the morphine, but when he did, the dreams were vivid, more real than reality. And the nightmares haunted him more than the monsters of his waking hours.

His body wanted to sit up, thrust forward to burst through the dream. But the morphine made him too tired, the pain made him too weary to try and move.

Even the normal snap of his eyelids was slow and labored. He knew that he should just relax, but he could not help it. The weight in his left hand had four points to it. Even in his dreams, his nightmares, he could only focus on one object that had four points like the one in his hand.

A pig. A small plastic pig by the name of Jasper. A gift to his then partner.

A gift to Bones.

He heard murmuring as the wave of pain rode with a wave of sadness. It took him getting hurt to get her back. Meaning it was almost an obligation for her to return. Her returning meant Sully was back. They were together, so of course they would both be here. After all, Sully and he all were friends too.

Booth mental shook his head, his own deciding it was too tired to move. Sully and Bones were together. Bones was happy, that's all that mattered. He had told her to go because he thought she would find some happiness. After the hell she's been through this past year, she deserve what happiness she could find. All of them did...

"Booth?" Her voice filtered through the pain. He wanted to turn and go back into the darkness, if only to escape that little bit of nauseous that hit him each time he saw her with Sully. He knew it for what it was: jealousy.

There was still a question that haunted him, one he refused to ask himself, the most important question of his life. He hated introspection, because he hated the man he saw inside. So he avoided looking inside for the truth, and carried on without looking for an answer. This time was no different.

The weight in his hand disappeared and he felt a small hand being rested in his. The hand was tentative, like it did not know what to do. "Booth?" Again, the questioning voice. Asking him to come back from the darkness, from the tired state of mind he was somewhat enjoying and damning at the same time.

Booth tried to squeeze his hand, willing some of his effort to wrap those fingers around hers. They moved slowly, not even enough to wrap around hers. He held back the groan as he tried to open his eyes again.

"Temp...temp..." Booth muttered. He stopped his lips, like he had a hundred times before, from passing her nickname through. Bones was his nickname for his partner. She wasn't his partner anymore and every day he had to remind himself of that.

"I'm here, Booth." She squeezed his hand, and he felt a warmth spread from it. "Relax, you're in the hospital."

He nodded his head as much as he could. He knew that. He had been conscious when they brought him in. They had to reset some of his ribs and his broken arm, but it was the gun shot wound that caught him by surprise. It wasn't severe enough to kill him, but any longer and he might have been gone from blood loss.

He sent a silent prayer for small favors.

His chest pounded with pain, even through the morphine. He tried to take deep breaths, but the pain in his ribs stopped him from doing that simply move.

"When...when you...get...ere?" His tongue felt heavy in his mouth, the same as his eyelids. He was awake, but not enough to open them up.

"I've been here for a few hours," Bones said. He felt her hand move his a little, and he tried to picture what she was doing.

Two months ago, he could have done that so easily it scared. Now, it scared him that he could barely remember her face.

It was easier to forget her, to forget the friendship they had built, then to let it hurt him for reasons he did not know or care to know about at that time.

But having her back made him realize how much he missed her badgering him for a gun or to drive, how much he missed the talks they'd have after finished cases. More than that, he missed his friend.

He used what strength he could to open his eyes. She sat there in a shirt that almost made him close his eyes again. She must worn one of Sully's shirts because there was no way she'd buy that for herself.

At the thought of Sully, Booth tensed and closed his eyes, which was an unfortunate act for him as his body was still too stiff to let even that little action go without some sort of pain. He let out a soft groan, hoping that Bones did not hear him. The squeeze of his hand and a gentle shift of his bed with her light weight told him that she heard and saw more than he wanted.

"Booth, relax," Bones said. "Please." She brought a glass of ice chips to his mouth and gave him some. he let out a sigh of relief through the pain as the scratching sensation of an unused voice left his throat. He wanted to smile, but it hurt too much to even _think_ about doing that.

"O...kay..." he managed to get out. He kept his hand away from the morphine, not wanting to go through another sleep before he could see his friend. He did his best to calm his breathing, but it was when Bones lifted his hand to place it on her chest that he began to relax his body.

She was taking strong breaths but releasing them slowly, ones that he could feel and emulate. He did his best and was able to now breath a little better if he followed her movements.

After a few minutes, and the sounds of a nurse hustling and bustling around him, Booth tried to open his eyes. Bones finally moved his hand off of her chest, but not held it in both of hers. She did not seem to want to let it go.

"Hey," Booth muttered, finally feeling strong enough. She had tears in her eyes, but she was smiling.

"Hey yourself," she said. He tried to give her a smile, but found his face lacking any motivation. He wasn't really happy to see her, because that meant Sully was back, and the pain in his gut would come back.

"I'm sorry for ruining your vacation," Booth said, the first words on his mind popping out. She looked so vulnerable there, staring at him that he had to change the subject. He wasn't used to those looks, for anyone outside his parents and son. He knew what her eyes were saying, that she cared deeply for him; his father's eyes said the same when he finally came back from war.

"It's alright, I wasn't having as much fun as I thought I would," Bones said. She wiped away a lone tear that had fallen down her cheek. Booth wanted to offer her comfort, to give her a 'guy hug,' but found his body constrained by his pain and pride.

At a cough on the other side of him, Booth turned his head as much as he could. "Angela," he spoke with a sigh and smile. Over the last few weeks, the squints had grown on him, something that he thought would never happen, and if it did, the friendships would take years for form.

"How's the FBI stud feeling?" Angela said. Bones frowned lightly, but Booth chuckled as much as his body would let him. Ever since he started 'hanging out' with the squints (he would qualify their actions as that, but Angela insisted in saying they were hanging out, even if he had dinner with them a few times), Angela had started to tease him more than he would have thought normal, if he hadn't figured it was her way of showing she cared and was involved in someone's life.

"Like they're putting me out to pasture," Booth said, causing Angela to laugh as Bones just frowned.

"Why would they put you in a pasture? Your house is more than adequate to suit your needs while you heal," Bones spoke with a look on her face that Booth hadn't realized how much he missed.

"He was making a joke sweetie," Angela said, sitting on the other side of his bed.

"Oh," Bones said, blushing at her mistake. He did not see her often embarrassed, but now, he could not help the word that jumped in his mind: 'cute.'

"It's okay Temperance," Booth said. He spoke softer and slower than he normally would, to hold off the pain and to prevent a slip up of her name. "You were just trying to help." Her warm hand was still in his cool one as he gave hers a reassuring tug. She smiled at this, and now he felt his own smile fighting through the stiffness and pain to come out and shine.

"So," Booth said, cutting through the awkward silence. Bones just stared at him, a combination of sadness and joy in her eyes, which looked like two paints mixing blues and greys together. "When am I getting out of here?"

"As soon as you're better," Bones said, in a tone that gave no room for argument. "You're not talking your way out of this, Booth."

"Like I could with you here Temperance," Booth said. It got all three of them to laugh, though booth could tell Bones' laugh was forced a little.

The silence was not uncomfortable, and Booth took the moment to look at Bones. She had been crying and looked more wounded then he ever remembered her being, even after finding her mother's remains. He did not realize she cared for his safety as much as she did. Bones, and even Angela for that matter, had never shown much beyond the inklings of friendship to him, until before all of this started.

Things changed though. He had begun to solidify friendships with the rest of the squints, while he felt like he was faltering in his own with Bones. That was the draw back to all of this. Not getting shot, not losing a partner, or even having to learn more squint talk because Zack and Hodgins couldn't speak anything else. The drawback was that he had to lose part of his friendship with Bones to gain a greater appreciation for the rest of the squints and probably the rest of the scientific community if he wanted to be generous.

Everything happened eventually though. He believed it, always had, ever since he came back from his duty. He learned to be a patient man, if only so he could enjoy the good things in life more. Like his son, and his job. At one time, his friendship with Bones had been on that list. Before he had woken, he would not have known to have placed it on his list of happy thoughts or not, but seeing here there, with a look that told him she had cried for him, he felt like his friendship with her might have survived, and maybe would grow stronger out of all this.

Everything happened eventually. Everything. All the good stuff. And when you think it never happens, it happens. Just got to be ready for it.

He felt like he was ready for a little good as that nice wave of pain he rode finally settled for the moment into a small trickle. Bones gave his hand another squeeze as he must have shown the relief on his face.

"What I wouldn't do for some pudding," Booth muttered. He was hardly in a position to be sitting up and eating, however the stuff was almost as good as macaroni and cheese. Any opportunity he had to get some, he'd take advantage of it.

Angela stood quickly after the words left Booth's mouth, a large smile on her face. "I'll talk to a nurse, see if we can get you some." There was relief in her words, like she was happy to be doing something.

Bones stayed at his side, though she looked uncomfortable with being left alone with him. He decided it was time to bite the bullet and ask a question he knew would bug him when the other man walked through the door. It was better to give himself time to prepare for it rather than let Sully walk in and it all hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Where's Sully?" Booth asked, failing to look nonchalant. His gaze moved off Bones and onto the blanket covering his bruised and battered legs. Her hand slipped out of his, and so slipped away his grip on the waking world. He struggled, not knowing why he was so tired suddenly.

All he could concentrate on was the thought that Sully was back, which meant once more Bones would divide her attention between Sully and Booth. He knew that thought alone would bring back nightmares. Sleep was taking hold again, and he felt his body ache as it tried to completely relax.

"Sully's not here..." Bones' voice punctured through the darkness, but not enough for him to fight it off. Those three words were enough to give him the strength to fight against his morphine induced terrors. Terrors that would undoubtedly have broken him more than he felt before she had spoken.

He did not get a chance to speak again, or even respond. Unasked questions still bugged him, and he said a short pray as the dreams and nightmares came again. A prayer the strength to change the things he could change, the patience to accept the things he couldn't and the wisdom to tell the difference.

Exit light, enter night. Take my hand... we're off to Never, Neverland.


	6. Oft Expectation Fails

Cloths of Heaven

Written by gwmclintock9

A/N: I do not own Bones. This story is a continuation of the one shot Regrets.

I apologize for not getting this out sooner. I reached a writer's block in this chapter, if only because I did not realize that I had ended it.

I hope you enjoy this.

**I0I**

"Oft expectation fails, and most oft there  
Where most it promises; and oft it hits  
Where hope is coldest, and despair most fits."

- Helena from William Shakespeare's _All's Well That Ends Well (II, i, 145-147) _

**I0I**

Brennan stood there, staring at Booth's sleeping body. Even at rest, he looked like he was in such pain. In the back of her mind, she knew it was illogical to think that she could have prevented him from being in such pain, but she could not help herself. As hard as she tried, sometimes, she still let her emotions get the better of her.

She just did not let anyone else see how much they could affect her.

It was a reaction to her time in the foster care system. Hide your emotions until you were alone; that way they could not be used against you, by the children who teased you, your foster parents, even yourself.

Booth, somehow, brought her emotions out at times when she knew she had to hide them. No matter how much she steeled herself against them, no matter how hard she tried not to show her emotions, when he was around, she couldn't help herself. They popped out of nowhere, like they were just waiting for him to come around, like she was just waiting for him to come around and make her feel again. To feel something behind the cold walls she build herself.

What Sully made her feel, surprised her. His feelings for her got through the walls she had built for herself, and made her _feel_ something for someone else, someone other than Booth. She cared for Angela, but feeling something and _feeling _something for someone was such a strong and irrational distinction she would never willingly verbalize it. It wasn't something she could easily explain or even identify. But she knew it when she saw it, or rather felt it.

What she felt with Sully was different then what she felt while when she was with Booth. With Sully, there was just the attraction, something she hoped would grow into more. Something that she longed for since a child. But with Booth... with Booth, Brennan felt a security and safety on top of growing attraction and admiration.

She hated that the only time she even considered how much Booth meant to her, how important he was to her life, to her sanity at times, was when one of them were in danger.

Following his steady breathing, she gripped the blanket, trying to calm herself as her berating thoughts ran wild.

She really did not know if she had told or even shown Booth how much he had helped her or how much she cared for his place in her life.

When Booth brought up Sully, the other man in her life, she froze and pulled back behind her walls. All she could tell him was that Sully wasn't here. It wasn't the apology she wanted to speak or even to tell him that she was glad he was alright. She fell back on logic, and the two former thoughts were hardly of the highest rational order. But they were more important.

Taking another calming breath, she stepped forward, ready to wait out his slumber by his side, to let him know she was there for him. The opening door stopped her movements, like a deer in headlights.

"Dr. Brennan, I'd ask what you are doing here, but the question would seem redundant." Deputy Directer Cullen stood in the doorway, a grim look upon her face. "I was under the impression that you were on vacation." There was no question in his voice, but Brennan's mouth overtook her brain as she tried to quell the uneasy silence.

"I was. I came back as soon as I heard," Brennan said. They stood on opposite sides of the bed, and Brennan fought the urge to pick up Booth's hand. Physical contact was an response to an irrational belief that this was not real, that Booth was not safe. She knew it would only increase the awkwardness between her and Booth's boss. "I would like to know what happened, but I can understand if you are unable to. I mean, especially if the case is ongoing or my knowing would jeopardize the integrity of the case. If there is anything I can do-"

"Dr. Brennan," Cullen cut her off before she could go on, and she couldn't help the sheepish look on her face. She wasn't used to being the helpless one in situation; control was too important for her to give up, and a direction to work with helped her keep her control, over herself and to some extent others.

Now, she lacked both. She was torn between staying here with Booth, to ensure her own peace of mind, and finding out what happened to him, and her father.

"Dr. Brennan, while I appreciate your offer, at this time there is no need for your assistance. The case is open and shut," Cullen said. He turned and looked at Booth, with an obvious hint of worry on his face. "The nurses told me he had woken up."

"He did, but the morphine knocked him back out again," Brennan said. She could see the relief replace the anxiety on Cullen's face.

"The nurses say anything about him to you?" Cullen asked. Brennan wanted to ask why they would tell her first, when he was Booth's boss, but quickly remembered Angela's little deceptive ploy against the staff there.

"No," Brennan shook her head. She would not admit aloud that she was too afraid to even look at Booth's chart to figure out for herself. Cullen accepted her answer though, without much fight.

Brennan shuffled her feet, feeling the same uncomfortable feeling she got whenever Booth dragged her along to see his boss. It wasn't often and she found ways of getting out of it most of the time, but the times she had to go, she felt like she was being disciplined for doing something. She had seen Booth look like he wanted to yell at them for no reason with her colleagues at the Jeffersonian, but never with her. In Cullen's case, it seemed to be done especially with her. Their relationship was certainly better since she helped figure out what happened to Amy, but she knew that they were never to be friends.

"Are you back here for the long term, Dr. Brennan?" Cullen broke the silence first and it took Brennan a moment to respond. She had not thought beyond the few moments she thought it would be until Angela returned with the nurses. She could hardly concentrate on herself, let alone the future. Yet here she was being asked to make a decision that would drastically change her life. Again...

Last time, she had Booth to ask, but now, seeing him lying there, almost helpless, she knew there was no decision to be made. She had made it the moment she stepped off that boat and swam to shore.

"I will be returning to the Jeffersonian in the foreseeable future," Brennan said. "I would also liked to be Booth's partner once more." This statement needed to be addressed, in her mind, immediately. Her partnership was the greatest folly of her experiment, the sacrificial lamb. She had to give it up to try and find a level of happiness that failed for her.

Cullen sighed, and Brennan thought he was going to become angry with her, which happened quite often when the two of them met. "I'm not sure I can do that, Dr. Brennan, and blackmail will not work again." The resignation in his voice forced her to overcome her shock at his knowledge of her scheme when she and Booth worked together for the second time.

"Excuse me?" Dr. Brennan felt her heart stop. She wouldn't be able to be partners with Booth? Now her world did feel like it was caving in. Her walls began to climb higher and higher as she tried to regain control of herself.

"I was not fooled by Special Agent Booth's depiction of the necessity of your talents on the case," Cullen said. "We've used the Jeffersonian before, and there has never been the need for one of their personnel to work out in the field. So when he brought the case to me and asked that you be allowed to work in the field with him because of your 'unique' skills, I was not fooled."

Brennan just nodded in understanding. She did not trust herself to speak, her mind still reeling from the fact that she could not go back to the way things were, where Booth was her partner. She wanted things to go back. She couldn't handle all of this change...

"I however, came to recognize that your partnership with Booth was conductive to not only his clearance rate, but also to his abilities as an agent," Cullen said. She nodded, understanding the importance of quantitative data to administrators, as it was much easier for them to categorize and sort agents by such information. "He is calmer then he was when he first started, and much more willing to listen to other ideas then his own. I believe that most of this is because of your influence on him, Dr. Brennan." She looked away, surprised and embarrassed to hear that she has had a positive effect on his life. She never really thought about how much she had affected him, only how much he has changed her.

"You left, though, Dr. Brennan, and in doing so, opened a much sought after spot." Brennan felt the rest of her hope leave her. "I will consider you as I would any other agent, but you must qualify first." There was a sharpness to his tone, like there was no way around her attempt at 'qualifying.' But looking at the Deputy Director's face, she could see some compassion there, and even understanding. "This would entail passing our physical and psychological exam." She held back a groan, at the thought of some wanna-be scientist picking around in her head for something that was probably better left unsaid. She rarely censored herself, and only did so when she believed that she could not work her way out of a situation. Those words were best left unsaid, for all parties. She knew how she felt, why have someone else tell her what she already knew.

But...to become Booth's partner again, she'd do this.

"How much time do I have?" Brennan asked. The physical would not be difficult for her, however, she needed to mentally prepare herself for the completely unnecessary psychological exam.

"When Agent Booth is eligible for duty, I'll be picking his partner," Cullen said. "I already am receiving requests for transfers from other agents to work with him and I will be forced to make a decision shortly after he recovers. Once the doctors give me an estimate of when he will be ready for field work, we'll proceed." She nodded, accepting that she would have to do this if she wanted to even have a chance to become partners with Booth again.

"Would it be possible to get the necessary requirements sent to my office?" Brennan asked. She did not know how long she had to get to the necessary level of physical fitness for the test. She had to pass; failure, just like in college, was not an option.

Cullen nodded, giving her the faint glimpse of a smile. Brennan wanted to ask what he saw, but the directer turned to leave. As he got to the door, he stopped and looked back at her.

"Sullivan called my office, asking if you had been by," Cullen said. Brennan stiffened again at the mention of her boyfriend, which was probably now another ex on her long list of failed relationships. Just thinking about that list made her promise herself to prevent Booth from being added to that list. She did not know if she could bear that failure.

"What did you tell him?" Brennan asked. She wasn't looking at him anymore, instead focusing on Booth's breathing, trying to calm herself down as she helped calm him down earlier.

"That I had not seen you, and it was not any of my business what you did or did not do," Cullen said. Brennan looked surprised at Cullen's response. She had expected him to be more helpful toward Sully, especially since Sully worked for Cullen. Her question must have been obvious. "I look out for my agents, Dr. Brennan. Even from ex-agents and ex-partners." Cullen's eyes narrowed a bit at the last words, narrowing on her. She caught the message.

Booth was and would be Cullen's number one priority, which meant that Cullen would do the best he could for Booth, even if that meant not having her as a partner. Swallowing that pit of fear, and a little bit of her pride, Brennan realized that she would have to do the same, if she ever wanted his friendship back.

**I0I**

Booth held back the groan as his eyes fluttered through the nightmares. He did not know which was worse, waking up to the pains of healing wounds or sleeping through the phantoms and demons that haunted him.

"Daddy!" He opened his eyes a little more at the joyous sound of his son. He felt two small hands wrap around his own as his son bounced on the bed.

"Hey buddy," Booth whispered. He gave his son the best smile he could; given that the medication still dulled his response time, he thought his attempt was pretty good.

Parker had been one of the few bright points in his life, especially since he had been able to 'negotiate' more time with him. Essentially this meant that Rebecca would 'dump' his son on him whenever she wanted. He could not complain; his son loved to spend time with him, and Parker even enjoyed the squints, most of the time. Sometimes between Hodgins and Zach, Parker would get so lost in a conversation that even Angela would lose her temper with them.

Yes, the squints had taken to Parker as well, a fact that he was thankful for, despite any misgivings from Rebecca. Parker took to the science, which became his new favorite subject in school. He had lost count of the number of times that Rebecca called him to complain that Parker was correcting her on something. He couldn't help it when the squints told his son a fact and it stuck. It wasn't his fault that he helped out from time to time, directing conversations to topics that Parker was studying in school.

"Are you okay?" Parker asked, playing with Booth's larger hand. He nodded, pushing up the button to lift his bed up. He felt his chest rising as his hand pushed the button.

"I'm better now that you're here," he said, off setting his words with a small smile. Parker returned it, but Booth nearly lost his at the sight of Rebecca glaring at him from behind Parker's back. Angela stood in the room, looking nervously between him and his ex.

"Parker, I bet Angela has some art supplies, maybe you can make a card for me," Booth prompted. Parker's eyes shot up, looking over at Angela who gave the boy a nod.

Angela lead Parker out of the room, hopefully away from his parents getting into a fight. Booth tried to relax, to fight off the pain killers. This was not going to be pretty by any means.

"You can't keep doing this Seeley," Rebecca said in a low voice. Booth shook his head, ignoring the pain he felt as he pushed himself up further. There were so many things that he still did sometimes that he shouldn't.

"Doing what?" He tried to keep both the fear and the anger out of his voice.

"Getting hurt like this," she motioned around the room.

"Yes, because I make sure to get injured in the line of duty at the most inconvenient times," Booth muttered, sarcasm dripping from his words.

"You can't keep putting Parker through this," she glared at him. "You don't know how difficult it was for him." Booth could tell she was afraid for him as well. Despite their lack of relationship, she still cared for him on some level

"You think I wanted to put him through this, to put any of you through this?" Booth tried to keep his voice even. "That I plan my job so I go after the mob?" He took a deep breath, wincing at the pain that settled in his lungs. Trying to calm down, he felt his hand move over a familiar form that rested in his bed: Jasper.

Bones had left it here. His thoughts stopped as he stared at Jasper. "Sometimes things happen we aren't prepared for, Rebecca." He looked back at her, and the anger seemed to leave her stance, thankfully. "We just have to hope things will turn alright."

"I've been wrong to keep Parker from you, Seeley," she whispered. "But I can't let what happened to me, happen to him." Booth had known Rebecca for a long time, long enough to help her through her father's death. He had been a cop for a small town, but was killed in the line of duty when Rebecca was sixteen. She had been devastated, and nearly inconsolable. Booth did his best, but even then they weren't that close. Not until he left for the army and came back.

"I do my job to the best of my abilities," Booth said. His hand curled around Jasper, as pain settled into his chest. "Like I've always done, and always will." He let go of the breath that he was holding, the ache settling past his lungs. "But I will do my best to be more vigilante." Rebecca nodded, accepting what he could give her. There was only so much he could do for himself. He'd have to trust his partner, but when he placed his trust in Banks, he was proved the fool, and both payed the price.

Rebecca left him to his thoughts, and as stressing as they were, he found a sense of comfort as he felt Jasper's hooves dig into his aching arm. He gave it to Bones to comfort her, when he really did not know what else to do. And now Jasper was giving him a little comfort, if only letting him know that Bones had returned and that she cared.

**I0I**

Brennan knew she had gotten back to her apartment, the problem she was facing now was remembering how she got there, and how long she had been just sitting on her couch, staring at her cell phone.

It had to been a few hours, as it was early morning when she entered the hospital and now the sun had moved to the west. She had dropped her bag as soon as she entered her apartment and just walked to the couch.

"Tempe?" She looked up over to her brother. When did he get a key to her place? "Angela called, said you came back here."

"Yeah, I took a cab," Brennan said. She stood up from her seat on the couch, the large tie-dye shirt still encompassing her body. It was just another symbol to her, of Booth, but all she had were the symbols because he was still in the damn hospital. "I needed to figure some things out."

"About Agent Booth?" She looked away at Russ's question, not wanting to show the fear or even the blush present in her eyes. Yes, she was thinking about Booth, it was hard not to think about him, not with everything that had happened. She had lost everything because she was selfish, and she now had to work harder to get it back to where they were.

"I talked to his boss, about working with him again," Brennan said, not meeting her brother's eyes. She still did not know what his part was in all of this, and knew that what he did was something she could never forget. He had saved Booth's life, her father saved Booth's life. She felt her heart ease at the thought of her family, forgiving them for leaving her when she had needed them the most. They were back, or at least Russ was. Her father was likely in custody, and she made a mental note to go see him. "I left after that."

"Too much for you?" Russ sat next to her, and put his arm around her lightly. She leaned into his half-hug, like she did when she was younger and some kid had just pushed her into the dirt again. She nodded, finding the long day overcoming her.

"We -" she yawned, her eyes closing on their own, "- still need to talk about what happened. About Dad."

"I know, Tempe, I know," Russ said. She felt herself drifting off as she rested against her brother, finding a lost comfort in the family that had left her behind. Now all she had to do was fix the family _she _had left behind.


	7. Never Did Run Smooth

Cloths of Heaven

Written by gwmclintock9

A/N:I do not own Bones. This story is a continuation of the one shot Regrets.

I must say that I had hoped to get this out by the start of the new season, however I failed to produce a chapter that I thought was up to being posted. I hope that you will enjoy this.

On the note of the new season, I must say that I am enjoying it. I try to not read spoilers, but bad me, I do. Don't worry, there will not appear in this story, at all. I plan on following the rest of season 2, then see where I go from. I had expected to go into what happened to Booth this chapter, however, I found this segue easier to lead me to that point rather then just diving right in.

I hope you enjoy this.

**I0I**

"The course of true love never did run smooth"

-_Lysander, from Midsummer Night's Dream (I, i, 132-140)_ by William Shakespeare

**I0I**

Booth sat up in the bed, flipping mindless through the channels on the cableless television. His chest was hurting more than it was earlier, but he refused to press the button for the drugs. He hated them, and it was going to take a a force of nature for him to press that button again.

He let out a painful sigh. Visiting hours were long over, and he knew that Bones had gone home for the night. he asked Angela to make sure that someone was with her. She looked broken almost, like she did not know what to with herself. He felt the same.

He didn't know what to do, now that she was back. Her last words to him, told him that Sully hadn't been with her, he hadn't figured that she would up and leave her boyfriend like that. She seemed so serious about him, something he really hadn't expected out of her.

Booth let out another painful breath. He was in this for the long haul. He had worked too hard to get into the FBI to allow some small injuries stop him for making things right. He had crawled out of that hole he dug for himself more times then he'd like to admit, but he was back in it. It was a metaphor he had long used for the struggles that had been pushed and he pulled upon himself over the years.

Until that moment, staring at the now static on the television screen, he hadn't realized why that metaphor haunted him so much over the past several months. But Bones wasn't there to remind him, to show him, that she was alright. Over the past few months, his guilt wasn't about pulling himself out of the hole he dug.

No, it was more than that, it had turned into a more powerful symbol to him then simply that.

His guilt was now about not making it in time, not being able to pull them out,pull _her_ out of that pit. Not catching the bastard that buried her and Hodgins. Not -

"Agent Booth!" Booth looked over at the door, staring at nurse who was glaring at him. His chest felt heavy and it hurt more than usually to breath. He was sweating badly and felt like his heart would explode out of his chest. "We told you to relax." She stomped over to him, and Booth could not help but glance her over.

A very attractive Latino woman in her mid-thirties though she looked at least five, maybe ten years younger stood before him, her hands on her hips. He tried to give her a charm smile, but he couldn't manage that on his good days the past few months. Now wasn't any different.

"I'm sorry, Isabella," Booth said, happy for the distraction for his berating direction of thoughts. They had given him strict orders to relax because the consequences would be painful, as evident by the load of bricks that felt like they had been moved onto his chest. Isabella immediately began to make his bed recline, removing the remote from his protesting hands.

"Sorry isn't good enough, you need to get better so that 'wife' of yours can do a proper checkup," Isabella said, causing Booth to nearly sit back up again. The smile on her face and laughter in her eyes must have been about a joke he wasn't told. "Oh, is this a surprise to you? Please, honey, we get people who want to see someone all of the time. You think you're the first?"

"My 'wife?' But I don't even have a girlfriend," Booth said aloud, followed quickly by a blush that covered his face and tied up his tongue as Isabella laughed at him.

"Like I'm going to believe that," Isabella said, checking his readouts as she moved around his bed. "The way that white girl was standing out your door. If that isn't love, then the rest of us must be doing something wrong."

"White girl? You mean Bo- Temperance?" Booth caught himself as he tried to sit back up, only to be roughly pushed down at Isabella.

"Temperance, yes, that's her, your 'sister-in-law,' Angela, said that your wife, Temperance was out of town on business, but from the look on surprise on _both _ of your faces, her arrival was a bit of surprise, more for you."

"She was supposed to be on vacation with her boyfriend." Booth tried to hide the disdain in his voice when he said 'boyfriend.'

"Yet she jumped ship, literally, to come here to see you," Isabella said, patting his uninjured arm. "She cares for you, more than either of you will let yourself see. She'll come around."

"Come around to what?" Booth asked. Isabella just gave him a smile before checking his IV. "You're not going to tell me?"

"Its more fun for you if you can figure it out on your own," she said. She began to walk out the door before stopping and looking back at him. "What's the boyfriend's name?"

"Tim Sullivan, Sully for short," Booth asked, cocking an eyebrow at her for a moment before smiling widely. "Going to tell him the wrong room or something?"

"Something like that," Isabella said, with a mischievous smile on her face that reminded him of Angela before she made some comment about him and Bones getting together. That smile should have scared him, but it never did. Instead he let out as deep of a laugh as he could without hurting himself, lying back in the bed. "I'll have them send up some more pudding, for you tomorrow. Sweet dreams, Booth."

"Thanks, Isabella," Booth yelled back as she left the room. The nurses, unsurprisingly had taken a liking to him, most women did in fact. He didn't feel up to flirting with them as he might have been. Not with Bones being back, now apart of his life.

He did not know how she fit into his life. A few months changed everything between them, but he knew it wasn't the time that changed things between them. It was her decision, the one she made to leave with Sully, even if it was only for a little while. She made her choice, and he wasn't it. He knew that was probably going to be the case when she started going out with Sully, and felt the tension because of his interactions with her when Sully was around. Booth should have seen the decision from a mile away. His gut told him so, but he refused to listen. He did not want to believe what would...break his heart.

With a sigh and an errant tear drop that got away, Booth closed his eyes, fighting the dread that settled him, knowing that he'd have to spend the night, another night, alone. Everyone had someone. Even Zack had managed to get into a long term relationship the past month.

He was left to his own nightmares and dreamscapes, and he could not help but remember similar days in the Army. With a shiver, he tried to relax, and let sleep come, hoping for a peaceful night.

**I0I**

Brennan awoke to find herself covered in the throw blanket from her couch. That didn't surprise her as she often fell asleep on the couch when she worked late, going over something for a case.

"Marco?" Brennan turned to see her brother carrying in a large tray into her living room. She wrapped the blanket around her, as her brother settled next to her.

"Polo," she tried to give him a smile as he handed her a plate.

"What do you want to do today? Visit Booth?" Russ looked at her, before starting on his own plate.

"For a bit," Brennan acquiesced, "but I think you need to take me to see Max." Russ froze, the bagel he was eating halfway to to his mouth. He looked over at her, and the room was suddenly uncomfortable it seemed. Brennan didn't, as she continued to sip the hot coffee. She set it down as Russ still seemed in shock of what she had proposed. "It really is not out of the question. As much as I would like to hear it from Booth, I do not want to put him through it again, and Max was there as well. Leading to the logical conclusion that he will the most about the story then anyone else. Plus, he will not shelter me from the truth."

Brennan knew her father did not want to hide anything from her, not any more. Too many years had been placed between them, and after what he had done for Booth, she would grant him a chance. He deserved that much at least. His sudden return in her life was one of the reasons she felt like she needed to leave, even if for a little while. She should have confided in Booth about that, he would tell her...well she did not know what he would tell her, but he would have been supportive, he always was supportive of her.

They ate the rest of breakfast in silence, though Russ did look like he wanted to tell her something, he dropped it. Brennan was thankful for that, at least she could take the moment to think about what she wanted to ask her father. Years still felt like they stood between the two of them, but she wanted to work at removing those years, removing the blocks she had put into place to protect herself.

She knew she had to change, at least, in some small way. She did not show the people who cared about, that she cared about them enough. It wasn't that she could not feel, though when she had been told that by several ex-boyfriends she had almost believed it. She felt too much at times, at least in the beginning when she first was put into foster care. It was why the walls went up in the first place. They stayed up to help her deal with her job. She saw too much horror to let it show that it effected her, especially the newer cases. Booth made those cases bearable and the burden of emotions lifted when he talked with her about the cases.

She went through her motions of starting her day, showering and changing into something she hoped was presentable for meeting her father. When she got into the car, she figured it was time she at least tried to talk to Russ. He was making a large effort here, helping her, and she wasn't being the most accommodating.

"How have you been, Russ?" Russ looked at for a moment, surprised by the question. Brennan kept her eyes on the road, knowing she would not be allowed to drive much once Booth was healed, she wanted to enjoy this chance.

"I've been fine, trying to find stable work," he spoke to the window, but she could tell he was uncomfortable with his situation. "When did you start dating this 'Sully' guy?" Brennan tightened her grip on the wheel as she struggled for an answer. "He called your place several times before you came home."

"I figured," Brennan said, trying to remain calm. A combination of fear, trepidation, and anger ran through her. Fear that Sully would come back and in some way wreck what she had been trying to rebuild these last few days. Trepidation at what Sully's return would do to the fragile calm she had found here, and how she would deal with him returning. But most of all anger. She tried to rationalize that Sully was worried for her, and part of her agreed with the sentiment, yet she could not but feel strangled by Sully. He took her away from all of this, and he was to blame as much she was.

"You going to call him back?" Russ looked like he was trying not to smile.

"In a few days," Brennan said. "I know I should call him sooner, but I just don't know how to deal with all of this, let alone his questions on top of all of this." Russ just shrugged his shoulders, not committing to any answer.

Brennan concentrated on the direction Russ had given her, and trying to calm her heart rate. She could deal with Booth's recovery. She could deal with her father now in federal custody. She could deal with a lot of things. But the fact that she ran out on her boyfriend, not a first when she really thought about it, specifically a boyfriend she felt more for than she thought was possible for a romantic relationship (Booth did not count, no matter what Angela said), was something that she did not know how to deal with, or let alone fix.

As she pulled into the parking spot at the prison, Brennan found herself wondering if she even wanted to fix what she had with Sully.

**I0I**

Booth tried to stay calm, to keep his breath steady. He did not need Isabella come in and yell at him again, or worse, stop that endless supply of pudding he knew was going to kill him to work off, but well worth it. His grip was tight around the blanket in his left hand and held Jasper lightly in his right. He did not want to risk Bones' wrath if he broke his gift to her.

Angela and Hodgins were nervous and for good reason. They were the messengers and Booth mentally was repeating that you were not allowed to kill the messenger. Not messengers from the FBI, no, Booth figured they were not going to even tell him, or at least not yet. This was information was from the Jeffersonian.

"One more time," Booth said, taking a deep painful breath, "please." He tried to keep the pain out of his voice, but it crack. He did not know if it was because the physical or the emotional toil all this was taking on him.

"Cam has a case for Bren," Angela said, taking a seat next to Booth. Her hand rested over his tightened one, trying to get it to relax.

"I'm fine with that part," Booth said, choking out a laugh, "Temperance needs to work like the rest of us need to breath." Angela smiled at this as Jack laughed as well. Booth kept the thought silent but they all were thinking it: _'at least she used to._'

"Your old buddy is going to be her 'temporary' partner," Jack said, with obvious disdain in his voice.

Booth let out a deep breath and leaned back against the bed. His ribs were thanking him, but his right hand wasn't. "This isn't going to end well is it?"

"Depends on who's seat you're sitting in," Angela said. "Could end up good for you. Bren wasn't too excited to deal with him once he called." Booth gave Angela a look, loosening his grip on the blanket just enough for her to pry it away. He tried to give a sheepish grin, but he couldn't even form that.

Booth tried to ready a response, as Hodgins was eying the pudding he had left on the cart. Booth nodded even before Angela realized what Hodgins was asking. Before she could even tell him not to, Hodgins had the pudding in his hand.

"How did you get so many of those? Bribe a nurse with something special, agent?" Angela asked. Booth moved in his bed a little, trying to move out of her gaze. It was the same type of one she teased him with whenever she talked about sex in front of him. At least she wasn't talking about him and Bones. Angela let out a laugh, her self-congratulating smile on her face.

"No, they just happen to like me," Booth said.

"Oh, please, if I wasn't married, I'd be all over you," Isabella said as she came into the room. Booth felt his face flame as Angela began to laugh again, and Hodgins joined in between bites.

"So, this is your source," Angela said. Booth was torn between trying to hide underneath his sheets and attempting to make a break for it. "Angela Montenegro."

"The 'sister-in-law?'" Isabella asked as she began to check the machines. Angela nodded, smile still on her face as the two of them shook hands. "So, would you like to hear the gossip?" She sat on the edge of Booth's bed.

"Ladies, please," Booth said, trying to hide his embarrassment through a laugh. He had heard the nurses talking about him, or at least he had to assume it was him as they kept looking at him.

"Relax, honey, you've got nothing to be ashamed about," Isabella said, patting Booth on the leg. Booth doubted that it could any worse than this.

"So, how 'not ashamed' are we talking here?" Angela leaned forward. Booth felt most of the blood rush to his face, the bed becoming suddenly uncomfortable. In fact the entire room was uncomfortable at the moment. Booth looked at Hodgins for a moment, noting that the man looked how Booth felt, before his head began to play a tennis match, bouncing back and forth while looking at Isabella and Angela.

"Am I interrupting anything?" The group turned to see Cullen standing in the doorway, looking mildly amused at the discomfort Booth was being subjected to by Angela and Isabella.

"Not at all so, just discussing the _great strides_ Special Agent Booth's health has made these past few days," Isabella said, standing up. Booth hid his face his hands as the girls laughed. "I'll tell the doctor you're here, but just between us, he's about ready to head out." Isabella left with a smile and wave, and Booth could not help but be thankful at least one source of embarrassment had left the room. Unfortunately for him, he knew Angela would pick up where she left off.

"Why am I not surprised to see you two here?" Cullen said as he stepped into the room. Hodgins just glared at the man while, Angela smiled. business as usual with those two. "We have another case."

"I know," Booth said. "they were just telling me about it." Cullen nodded, but Booth could tell he was anything but happy. "Did you want Dr. Brennan on the case?"

"I need her on the case," Cullen said with a shake of his head. "It fits right up your team's alley." He motioned to Booth as he spoke, causing Booth to swell with a bit a of pride. Although he couldn't be apart of the process, at least this time, to be included with the squints made him feel a little bit better. "Once you're out of here, are you up to work as a consultant?" Booth nodded, trying to offer what he could for a smile. All he wanted to do was get back to his job; it was one of the few things that he had left.

"Why have him consult on this case?" Angela asked, looking confused. "I thought you had another agent working with Bren." She looked over at Booth, who shrugged his shoulders. He figured Cullen was trying to ease into talking about Bones' temporary assistant. While at times Cullen was about a brutal as Bones was when it came to telling him things, but Booth knew the man could handle giving out the difficult news better then some people he knew.

"I do, however, I believe that your presence will help calm certain parties," Cullen said. He looked at Hodgins for a moment before looking at Booth. Booth held back a chuckle; Hodgins had expressed his dislike of Sully, which Booth did not deny sharing, over a couple of beers. For a squint, and a bit of conspiracy freak, the man wasn't bad. For a squint.

"What would my job entail?" Booth did not need to be playing babysitter, no matter how Cullen spun it. The squints could take care of themselves. "Because if it is just to watch over them, I'm going to have to decline, sir." Angela looked stunned, but the guys nodded. Booth had better things to do then just

"I understand, Agent Booth, but you must know that I had to offer it to you first," Cullen said.

"What do you mean? Why give him the chance if you knew he was going to turn it down?" Angela asked. "Oh, wait, is this one of those guy things?"

"No," Booth said. He pushed himself up, grunting from the exertion. Sitting up right felt good for his stiff body, but he knew he'd be feeling it later. "I'm refusing it because I know that you can take care of yourself, and I do not want to be apart of a case where I can not actively work it."

"Understandable, " Cullen said. "Agent Sullivan will be taking the lead on this case, filling in for you like before." If Cullen was expecting some kind of response, Booth's lack of surprised was not it. "It was not my intention to have Agent Sullivan come back and work for us, however, he offered his services as a temporary agent. By placing him as the temporary agent, I am not forced to remove another agent once you return."

"Thank you, sir, but you didn't have to explain it to me," Booth said.

"I believe I owed you at least that." Cullen turned to walk out of the room. "Dr. Hodgins, Ms Montenegro."

They sat in silence for a few moments, before Booth lay back, letting go of the breath he was holding. "Well, that could have gone worse." He looked over at Hodgins before letting out a slightly less painful chuckle. "You sure not working on this a good idea, G-man?"

"Temperance can take care of herself and make her own decisions," Booth looked over at Angela before giving them a small smile. "Besides, if she's pissed at him, this isn't going to make it any better for the guy." The two squints laughed at bit, the awkwardness of the conversation leaving the room.

"Just get better soon," Angela said, standing up from her seat. She gave him a hug, then stepped back to let Hodgins shake his hand. "I don't know if we can deal with another case without you."

"Just keep me posted on what happens." Booth had to yell this as Angela dragged Hodgins out of the room, away from the pudding cups still next to his bed.

He let out a deep breath, trying to calm himself enough so he could fall asleep. This wasn't going to end well, for any of them. He did not want Bones to be hurt, no matter how much it hurt to see her walk away. Still, she deserved something better, someone better then Sully. She would find _him_ eventually though. Wherever this guy may be, whoever he may be.

Everything happens eventually though. Booth just hoped the guy didn't hurt Bones like he thought Sully inevitable would.


End file.
